Thousands of Israelis took to the streets this Sunday to protest after the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallantwho became the first member of the government to publicly oppose the advancement of the controversial judicial reform promoted by the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to local media, the demonstrations brought together several tens of thousands of people and took place in different parts of the country, the main foci being Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. At the same time, protesters gathered in the cities of Haifa and Beer Sheva.
The demonstrations on Sunday, unlike the protests against the judicial reform that took place two weeks ago and which are usually planned in advance and in coordination with the security forces, were spontaneous.
Netanyahu’s refusal to dismiss the defense minister expanded by multiple spheres of Israeli society, which included the unions, which according to local media reports could announce a major strike today.
For his part, the Israeli consul in New York, Asaf Zamir announced his resignation to the position shortly after the cessation of the minister. “After today’s events, the time has come to join the fight for the future of Israel to ensure that it continues to be a beacon of democracy and freedom in the world”he pointed out through his Twitter account.
Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant came less than 24 hours after the minister called publicly to interrupt the reform. “I am saying it loudly and publicly, for the sake of the State of Israel and our children, we must stop this legislative process”Gallant said during a televised intervention.
“We need to stop the demonstrations and protests, and seek dialogue. Anything that damages the Army’s strength and security system must be stopped immediately.”he added in reference to the massive popular movement in rejection of the reform.
The legislative process promoted by Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition partners seeks to hand over greater power to the Executive to the detriment of Justice, whose independence would be undermined.