· Protesters gathered on streets in Israel’s capital Tel Aviv after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
- Yoav Gallant is the first member of the cabinet to call for a pause to controversial plans to overhaul the country’s court system.
- The White House in a statement expressed concern over the issue and has said that there is an “urgent need for compromise”.
- Israel’s Consulate General in New York, resigned after the incident and in his resignation letter he termed it a “dangerous decision.”
- Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called on Netanyahu and his government to immediately pause the plans, saying “the eyes of the whole world are on you.”
Mass protests erupt in Israel after Netanyahu fires defence minister Yoav Gallant after he became the first member of the cabinet to call for a pause to controversial plans to overhaul the country’s court system. Gallant said the pause was needed “for the security of Israel.”
The dismissal of the defence minister signalled that the prime minister and his allies will press ahead with the overhaul of the judiciary this week, as per international media reports. Yoav Gallant called for a halt to the judicial reforms in a speech on Saturday, when Netanyahu was out of the country on an official visit to the United Kingdom. Some military reservists have committed to pulling out of their service in opposition to the plans, which critics have said would undermine the independence of the judiciary, according to a news channel report.
Following the decision, Protesters gathered on streets in Israel’s capital Tel Aviv and blocked a motorway, while police clashed with crowds in front of Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem. The unrest exacerbated a months-long crisis over Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s court system, which has given rise to mass protests, and alarmed the US and other close allies.
The White House in a statement released on Monday expressed concern over the firing of Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and has said that there is an “urgent need for compromise”. The White House released a statement saying, “We are deeply concerned by the developments out of Israel, which further underscore the urgent need for compromise. As the President (Joe Biden) recently discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu, democratic values have always been and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship.”
Yoav Gallant said going ahead with the proposals could pose a threat to Israel’s security. The statement by Gallant, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, upset Israel`s coalition government. An official in Netanyahu`s office said the Israel PM had lost confidence in Gallant, adding that he had not cleared the statement in advance and had “thus sabotaged efforts to reach a solution.”
Meanwhile, Israel`s Consulate General in New York, Asaf Zamir, resigned after Netanyahu`s decision to fire Gallant. In his resignation letter posted on Twitter, Zamir termed it a “dangerous decision.”
In a Facebook post, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called on Netanyahu and his government to immediately pause the plans, saying “the eyes of the whole world are on you.” For the sake of the unity of Israelis, for the sake of committed responsibility I call on you to halt the legislative procedure immediately.”
