by Ari Rabinovitch
JERUSALEM, March 27 (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday sacked his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, after the latter deviated from the government line by speaking out on Saturday in favor of suspending the very challenged justice reform project.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in response to the news, many waving Israeli flags.
A crowd gathered in front of the residence of Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, managing at one point to cross a security cordon, before the police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Taking office about three months ago, the ultra-conservative coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu is shaken by internal tensions around this flagship measure wanted by the Prime Minister.
“State security cannot be a card in the political game. Netanyahu crossed a red line tonight,” opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz said in a joint statement, calling the Prime Minister’s Likud party not to take part “in the crushing of national security”.
Earlier, Benjamin Netanyahu’s services indicated that he had “decided this evening to relieve Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of his duties”, without giving further details or the name of his successor.
Yoav Gallant reacted in the wake via Twitter, declaring that “the state of Israel’s security has always been and will always be my life’s mission”.
On Saturday, the former commander of the Israeli navy warned that the justice reform represented a “clear, immediate and tangible threat” to state security, asking to suspend the project. He added, during a televised address, to be ready to “pay any price” for the good of the country.
Denounced by its detractors as an obstacle to democracy, the project aims to give the government greater weight in the choice of judges and to limit the capacity of the Supreme Court to annul laws passed by Parliament.
President Isaac Herzog, expected to stay above politics, warned earlier this month that Israel could be heading for “disaster” if no consensus is reached on justice reform.
But Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges which he rejects, assures that justice reform is necessary to balance the powers.
This crisis comes even as the Israeli security services are concerned about a possible escalation of violence in the coming weeks, against a backdrop of growing tensions with the Palestinians, as Ramadan has begun.
Separately, senior Finance Ministry officials have said the proposed reform could have economic repercussions, with executives also saying they are worried about the future of their businesses.
Stepping up the pressure on the government, the main civil service union said it was “stunned” by the dismissal of Yoav Gallant and promised a “spectacular” announcement on Monday. (Report Ari Rabinovitch, Ronen Zvulun and Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Rami Amichay in Tel Aviv; French version Jean Terzian)
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