Mass protests in Israel after Defense Minister fired for opposing judicial overhaul

JERUSALEM: On Sunday, massive crowds took to the streets in Tel Aviv after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired defense minister Yoav Gallant for opposing the judicial overhaul.

According to a CNN report, Israeli citizens took to the streets to protest chanting “democratia”, as streets and bridges were blocked including Ayalon Highway. Protestors lit multiple highways on fire obscuring some of the city’s iconic skyscrapers. However, numbers thinned out as security forces fired water canons on the crowds.

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On Sunday, the PM’s office announced Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant after he opposed the overhaul of the country’s judicial system. The statement issued by Netanhyu’s office read: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to remove Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from his post”.

Mass protests in Israel after Defense Minister fired for opposing judicial overhaul | Baaghi TV

Former Israelie defense minsiter Yoav Gallant.

It is pertinent to note that Gallant had urged the government to halt the judicial reforms on Saturday night. At the time, Netanyahu was out of the country for an official visit to the UK. During his speech on Saturday, Gallant said that moving ahead with the controversial proposal held the potential to damage the country’s security.

After his removal from the post, the protests that followed, have prompted senior officials to call for a halt to the process. In a post on Facebook, Israeli president Isaac Herzog called for Netanyahu to pause the process. Herzog said, that the “eyes of the whole world” are Israel. In a statement, he said: “Security, economy, society – everyone is threatened”. The statement further read that the Israeli citizens and the Jewish people are deeply concerned and have their “eyes” on the issue.

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According to CNN, the president said, “For the sake of the unity of Israelis, for the sake of committed responsibility I call on you to halt the legislative procedure immediately”.

Protesters lit fires on a Tel Aviv highway Sunday

Meanwhile, protestors came together on Monday against Gallant’s removal and the reforms. On the other hand, Israel’s Economy Minister Nir Barkat, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, and Diaspora Affairs and Social Equality Minister Amichai Chikli also advised the prime minister to stop the legislative process. Barkat who is a former mayor of Jerusalem urged the prime minister to “stop and recalculate”. Barkat added that while the reform is necessary, the country cannot go ahead with it if it could lead to a civil war.

In a tweet, on Sunday, the former defense minister said that the security of the states “has always been and will always remain the mission of my life”.

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On the other hand, former prime minister Yair Lapid has termed the dismissal a “new low”. He took to Twitter to write that the PM “cannot fire the people: for standing against the “insanity of the coalition”.

As a form of protest, Asaf Zamir, Israel’s Consul General in New York resigned from his position citing reasons that Gallant’s removal is a “dangerous decision“. Zamir added that the reform undermines the foundation of Israel’s democracy. Universities across the country are also closed in protest, on Monday.

Mass protests in Israel after Defense Minister fired for opposing judicial overhaul | Baaghi TV