Thousands of people took to the streets of Israel’s main cities tonight to protest the sudden dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, decreed this Sunday because of his criticism of the judicial reform undertaken by the prime minister in the midst of a strong social rejection. Benjamin Netanyahu himself announced his dismissal around 8:30 p.m. with the justification that his cabinet mate “has turned her back on the government,” according to the Israeli media. In a brief statement, the leader explained simply his loss of confidence in Gallant, who will retain his status as a ruling Likud party deputy.
The minister publicly advocated on Saturday for paralyzing the reform process and giving more room for dialogue, convinced that it has become a “threat to Israel’s security.” The law keeps the population divided and these discrepancies would have moved the ranks of the Army and the interior of the barracks, according to Gallant, who thus became the first member of the cabinet to openly show his discrepancies with Netanyahu on the review. judicial.
Apparently, the minister acted encouraged by warning signs such as the refusal of thousands of reservists to register for the service if the new law goes ahead. Hundreds of them have already made that refusal effective, which has sparked uneasiness in the General Staff because the Israeli armed forces need reservists to function in all its branches. But the prime minister seems to turn a deaf ear to this concern. “We must all firmly confront those who refuse to serve in the Army,” he said in a message on social networks a few minutes after announcing the dismissal of the minister.
The repercussions on the street are already appreciable. After a demonstration on Saturday in which 650,000 people participated, the citizens came out this Sunday night to protest against Netanyahu’s reform with shouts in favor of democracy. The mobilizations have sprung up spontaneously in different cities after the removal of Gallant from office, and in several of them incidents began to take place at midnight. Some roads remain blocked with barricades that have been set on fire and security forces are trying to control the protesters at other points.
On a political level, and given the unstable right-wing and extreme-right coalition that supports the government, it is not very clear whether the former Defense Minister will be reassigned to another cabinet position. The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has attacked Netanyahu, accusing him of dismissing his minister “just because he warned him of the threat he poses to Israel’s security” a judicial reform that this Monday will take new steps with the presentation of a project of law that will allow a greater influence in the selection of the judges of the Supreme Court.
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