[News] Amid Judicial Reform, Netanyahu Fired Israeli Defense Minister

[Draeno]

 

Just one day after Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Galant's objections to judicial reform became known, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu removed him from office. This was made known by the president's office in a one-line statement, exacerbating an internal crisis that the country is experiencing due to the administration's intention to grant the Government greater control over the selection of Supreme Court judges and limit the authority of the court over Parliament.

“The gap within our society is widening and penetrating the Israel Defense Forces,” Galant said in a televised speech on judicial reform. “This is a clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the State. I will not be a part of this." His proposal was to postpone the legislation, which is due to be voted on next week, warning that it had caused unrest in the military and was therefore a threat to Israel's security.

Galant, 64, was appointed less than three months ago as head of the Defense portfolio. His appointment eased fears in Washington that Netanyahu could name a far-right lawmaker to oversee Israel's military, which receives aid and technical assistance from the United States, according to The New York Times.

In fact, as documented by the American newspaper, Galant received strong pressure to distance himself from the government's judicial reform. The former naval command, for example, received calls from former military colleagues to speak out against the project promoted by the prime minister. In addition, other former naval commandos held protests in front of his house to persuade him to break ranks with the president.

While the Government does not seem to take its finger off the line, the organizers of the demonstrations have called for intensifying the protests. In fact, after Netanyahu's decision to fire Galant, they called a demonstration for this Sunday in Tel Aviv. In addition, Yair Lapid, former prime minister and current leader of the opposition, also expressed his qualms. Through Twitter, he wrote: "Netanyahu can stop Galant, but he cannot stop reality and the people of Israel, who are facing the follies of this coalition."

 

https://www.elespectador.com/mundo/mas-paises/en-medio-de-la-reforma-judicial-benjamin-netanyahu-despidio-al-ministro-de-defensa-israeli-noticias-de-hoy/