Protests erupt in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister Yoav Gallant for opposing the prime minister’s plan to overhaul the judiciary. The move led to mass protests across the country, with many demonstrators gathering outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem and blocking highways in Tel Aviv. The protestors are concerned that Netanyahu’s plan to change the judiciary would concentrate power in the hands of the government and compromise national security. Although it’s not clear whether the legislative vote will proceed or not, the coalition leaders are expected to meet and discuss the situation. The crisis has intensified as business leaders, security chiefs, and the U.S. and other allies are expressing concerns about the situation.
Concerns Over National Security
Gallant warned that the overhaul plan risked a clear and immediate threat to the country’s security, leading Netanyahu’s office to announce his dismissal. Netanyahu’s office didn’t name a replacement nor provide any other details. However, Israeli media reported that the leaders in Netanyahu’s coalition will meet on Monday morning. Furthermore, the grassroots protest movement has announced that it will hold another mass demonstration outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.
Impact of the Protests
The protests have led to clashes with the police using water cannons to push demonstrators back from Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem. Tel Aviv, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets since the beginning of the year, has seen protesters light a large bonfire on a main highway. Clashes were reported in Tel Aviv as police moved in to clear the highway and put out the fires. Israel’s consul-general in New York, Israel’s research universities, and the head of the Histadrut labor federation have all expressed their concerns over the situation.
Constitutional Crisis
The turmoil comes at a critical moment in the passage of the legislation, with a bill giving the executive more control over the appointment of judges expected to be brought for ratification this week in the Knesset, where Netanyahu and his allies control 64 out of 120 seats. Netanyahu and his allies say the plan will restore a balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies. However, critics argue that the laws will remove Israel’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition. They also say that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has a conflict of interest.
The situation has put Israel into uncharted territory, with disagreements over the source of authority and legitimacy of different governing bodies. The situation is a clear example of a constitutional crisis, said Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. According to him, the move by Netanyahu to overhaul the judiciary has led to mass protests and criticism from business leaders, security chiefs, and the U.S. and other allies, further deepening the crisis in Israel.
