New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant a day after Gallant urged the government to halt the controversial judicial overhaul legislation.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud party, became the first to break ranks late Saturday by calling for the legislation to be frozen. In light of strong protests among the ranks of the military, Gallant saw the overhauls as a threat to state security.
The Israeli PM's office issued a one-line statement: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided, this evening to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant."
The announcement was followed by more protests in Tel Aviv on Sunday, with protestors blocking a main highway. Demonstrations also took place in Jerusalem, Beersheba, and Haifa.
The announcement indicated that Netanyahu will go ahead with the overhaul plan this week, which has sparked mass protests, angered military and business leaders, and raised concerns among Israel's allies.
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.
Three key proposals being discussed are a move to legislate an "override clause" by which the Knesset can reinstate any law invalidated by the Supreme Court, put judicial appointments under political control as opposed to the current hybrid political-professional-judicial appointments panel, and split the role of the Attorney General as both the head of the state prosecution and the government’s legal adviser.
Calling for a halt to the planned overhaul of Israel's judiciary that has divided the country, Gallant on Saturday said, "The security of the State of Israel is my life’s mission. Over the course of my entire adult life I have dealt with Israel’s security day in and day out. Clothed in the IDF’s (Israel Defence Forces) uniform, I have risked my life dozens of times for the State of Israel. And at this time, for the sake of our country, I am willing to take any risk and pay any price."
"I declare loudly and publicly, for the sake of Israel’s security, for the sake of our sons and daughters – the legislative process should be stopped", he asserted, pointing to the visible diminishing morale of the army he could sense that is endangering Israel's security and unity.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid decried Gallant’s dismissal as “a new low for an anti-Zionist government that is harming national security and ignoring the warnings of all security figures.”
“The Israeli prime minister is a danger to the State of Israel,” Lapid said on Twitter.
(With inputs from agencies)