Late on Sunday night, protesters flooded the streets of Tel Aviv in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing his defence minister, who had opposed the proposed judicial overhaul. The protesters shouted ‘democratic’ and blocked roads, including a major highway within the city.
Police used water cannons on demonstrators near Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem. The protests turned violent on the same day that Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had called for a halt to the proposed overhaul of the justice system. Netanyahu then dismissed Gallant, leading to people taking to the streets and waving Israeli flags.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement announcing the dismissal of Gallant, who had warned that the judicial reforms could pose a threat to the security of the state. The proposed reforms would give the government more power in deciding the appointment of judges and make it more difficult for courts to remove a leader deemed unfit for office, which may benefit Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption.
Gallant was the first member of the cabinet to publicly oppose the controversial plans to overhaul the country’s court system. After his dismissal, Gallant tweeted that the security of the state of Israel has always been and will always be his life’s mission.
Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz criticized Netanyahu for dismissing a minister over the judicial reform, stating that state security should not be used as a political card. After protesting outside Netanyahu’s house and breaching a security cordon, the protesters moved to the parliament building, the Knesset.
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