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Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his defence minister, a day after he called on the Israeli leader to halt a planned judicial overhaul that has divided the country and sparked growing discontent within the military.
The move underscored Netanyahu’s determination to press on this week with the overhaul, which has sparked mass protests, angered military and business leaders and raised concerns among Israel’s allies. The defence minister, Yoav Gallant, was the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out against the plan.
In a brief statement on Sunday, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister had dismissed Gallant.
The decision came less than a day after Gallant called for a pause in the controversial legislation until after next month’s Independence Day holidays, citing the turmoil in the military over the plan.
Gallant tweeted shortly after the announcement that “the security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life mission”.
There was immediate outcry over his sacking with thousands of Israelis taking to the streets to protest on Sunday evening with reports that demonstrators had breached barriers close to Netanyahu’s home.
Israel’s consul-general in New York said he was resigning in protest at Netanyahu’s treatment of his defence minister. “I can no longer continue representing this government,” Asaf Zamir said on Twitter. “I believe it is my duty to ensure that Israel remains a beacon of democracy and freedom in the world.”
Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, said Gallant’s dismissal was a “new low for the anti-Zionist government that harms national security and ignores warnings of all defense officials”.
“The prime minister of Israel is a threat to the security of the state of Israel,” Lapid wrote on Twitter.
Avi Dichter, a former chief of the Shin Bet security agency, is expected to replace him. Dichter had reportedly considered joining Gallant but instead announced Sunday he was backing the prime minister.
Protest organisers called for a spontaneous demonstration outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv in response to Gallant’s dismissal.
Netanyahu’s government is pushing ahead for a parliamentary vote this week on a centerpiece of the overhaul – a law that would give the governing coalition the final say over all judicial appointments. It also seeks to pass laws that would grant parliament the authority to override Supreme Court decisions with a basic majority and limit judicial review of laws.
Netanyahu and his allies say the plan will restore a balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.
But critics say the laws will remove the checks and balances in Israel’s democratic system and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition.
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