Jerusalem (CNN) The political crisis engulfing Israel deepened on Sunday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, opening a government rift by calling for a halt to controversial plans to fix the country’s court system.
Netanyahu’s office announced Gallant’s removal in a one-line statement a day after he became the first cabinet member to break ranks over the proposals, which sparked weeks of protests. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to remove Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from his position,” the statement read.
Gallant argued for a halt to judicial reforms in a speech on Saturday night, when Netanyahu was out of the country on an official visit to the United Kingdom. Some military reservists have pledged to quit their service in opposition to the plans, which critics say will harm the independence of the judiciary. Gallant said proceeding with the proposals could threaten Israel’s security.
Thousands of people flooded the streets in protest Sunday night after Gallant’s firing. Dozens of people blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv, and some protesters set themselves on fire.
The comments by Gallant, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, angered Israel’s already balanced coalition government. It is unclear whether the plans can go ahead. An official in Netanyahu’s office said the Prime Minister had lost confidence in Gallant, adding that he did not clear up the comments beforehand and “thereby sabotaged efforts to reach a solution.”
In his speech on Saturday, Gallant said the pause was necessary “for Israel’s security,” citing the refusal of some Israel Defense Forces reservists to train in protest of the government’s plans.
Gallant reiterated that sentiment in a tweet Sunday after his ouster: “The security of the State of Israel has always been and will always remain my life’s mission.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called Gallant’s ouster a “new low.” He wrote on Twitter that Netanyahu can burn the minister but “cannot burn the people of Israel who stand by the insanity of the coalition.”
He added: “The Prime Minister of Israel is a security risk to the State of Israel.”
Former Israeli Defense Minister and opposition lawmaker Benny Gantz tweeted: “We face a clear, immediate and visible danger to Israel’s security,” before adding that the danger got worse. “Tonight Netanyahu put politics and himself above security.”
Israel’s Consul General in New York, Asaf Zamir, resigned in response to Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant. In his resignation letter, where he posted on Twitter, Zamir called Netanyahu’s move a “dangerous decision” and added that he “has become increasingly concerned with the policies of the new government, and in particular, the judicial reform it is leading.”
“I believe this reform undermines the foundation of our democratic system and threatens the rule of law in our country,” he wrote.
Israeli universities will go on strike starting Monday, they announced, and the largest labor union and business leaders said they would hold a press conference on Monday morning. The labor union, Histadrut, said its press conference with business leaders scheduled for 11 a.m. (4 a.m. ET) would be dramatic.
A controversial judicial overhaul
Under the proposals, the government would have control over the appointment of judges, and parliament would gain the power to override Supreme Court decisions.
The government argues that the changes are essential to control the Supreme Court, which they see as insular, elitist, and no longer representative of the Israeli people. Opponents say the plans threaten the foundations of Israel’s democracy.
The protest of military reservists is seen as a particular concern for the Israeli government, as they are often called up to train and serve, even in peacetime.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on Netanyahu to fire Gallant after his speech on Saturday. “Gallant submitted tonight to blackmail and threats from all anarchists who called for resistance and the use of [Israel Defense Forces] as a bargaining tool,” tweeted Gvir.
“Gallant was elected by the votes of voters on the right and in practice promoted an agenda of the left. In the moment of truth he collapsed under the pressure of the media and the protesters. I called on the Prime Minister to remove him immediately.”
Adding more pressure to Netanyahu, Israel’s High Court on Sunday gave him a week to respond to a petition calling for him to be held in contempt of court.
The legal move by Israel’s Movement for Quality Government comes after the attorney general told Netanyahu he acted illegally and violated a court-imposed conflict of interest order by saying he would personally involve himself. to judicial repair.
Part of the bill — which effectively strips the courts of the power to declare a prime minister unfit for office — has already been pushed through.
Critics say Netanyahu is pushing the changes because of his own ongoing corruption trials; Netanyahu denied this.
Netanyahu himself has given no indication that he will back down. In a speech on Thursday he said he would address the concerns of “both sides,” but promised to press ahead with reform plans.
Likud lawmaker Danny Danon said it was too early to tell if there were enough rebels in the party to stop the legislation, telling CNN, “We will only know on Monday,” when party members meet. the Knesset, or parliament.
Netanyahu and his allies control 64 seats in the 120-seat legislature, so in theory five Likud rebels could deprive the coalition of an absolute majority. But lawmakers can abstain or be absent, reducing the number of votes a law needs to pass.
CNN’s Richard Allen Greene contributed to this story from Jerusalem. Lauren Said-Moorhouse writes from London.