The Minister of Defense criticized the judicial reform.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a day after he called for an end to judicial reform, prompting politicians and former cabinet members to condemn Netanyahu's actions as a “dictatorship.”
The Israeli prime minister's office released a one-line statement: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tonight decided to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.” He gave no further details.
On Saturday, Gallant publicly criticized the government's controversial reforms to the judiciary, saying “the legislative process must be stopped.”
He said IDF soldiers also protested the reforms: “I hear their voices and I am concerned. The events taking place and the problems in Israeli society do not bypass the Israel Defense Forces. “Unprecedented feelings of anger, pain and disappointment are rising everywhere,” Times of Israel quoted him as saying.
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Gallant said: “I see the source of our strength weakening… The division in our growing society is seeping into the IDF and the security services. This is a clear, direct and tangible threat to the security of the state. I will not lay a hand on it.”
Several Israeli politicians condemned the release of Netanyahu Gallant, calling him a “dictator” and “a danger to Israel.”
Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, also a former defense minister, called Gallan's dismissal “dictatorship at its best,” the Times of Israel reported. Lieberman said: “The defense minister dared to express the deep concern of all security chiefs about the collapse of the IDF and the fatal damage to Israel's security.” He added: “Instead of listening to [Gallant] and convening a cabinet, Netanyahu chose the path of all dictators is to silence voices.”
As reported by the Times of Israel, National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz, Galant's predecessor as defense minister, said Israel was facing “a clear, immediate and tangible a threat” to their safety. He added: “The danger has become even worse. Tonight, Netanyahu put politics and himself ahead of security.”
The judicial overhaul would give the government the power to appoint judges and limit judicial oversight of government actions and laws. Netanyahu and his supporters say the strategy will restore balance between the judicial and executive branches of government, reining in what they see as a court prone to liberal interference.
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However, opponents say the approach destroys a fragile system of Israel's checks and balances and catapults Israel to authoritarianism.
