Thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Sunday night after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, a supporter of a pause in the government's controversial judicial reform.

According to police, protesters converged on Kaplan Street in central Tel Aviv, the epicenter of protests since the presentation in January of the reform project that divides the country.

The United States said it was "deeply concerned," and stressed "the urgent need for compromise." "Democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of U.S.-Israel relations," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson warned.

She also stressed that "fundamental changes for a democratic system should be carried out with the broadest possible popular support base."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday (March 27th) called on the government to "immediately" stop legislative work, "in the name of the unity of the people of Israel" in a message on Twitter.

למען אחדות עם ישראל, למען האחריות המתחייבת אני קורא לכם לעצור את הליך החקיקה לאלתר.

אני פונה לראשי כל סיעות הכנסת, קואליציה ואופוזיציה כאחד, לשים את אזרחי המדינה מעל הכול, ולנהוג באחריות ובאומץ ללא דיחוי נוסף. תתעשתו כעת! זה לא רגע פוליטי, זה רגע למנהיגות ואחריות.

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) March 27, 2023

למען אחדות עם ישראל, למען האחריות המתחייבת אני קורא לכם לעצור את הליך החקיקה לאלתר.

אני פונה לראשי כל סיעות הכנסת, קואליציה ואופוזיציה כאחד, לשים את אזרחי המדינה מעל הכול, ולנהוג באחריות ובאומץ ללא דיחוי נוסף. תתעשתו כעת! זה לא רגע פוליטי, זה רגע למנהיגות ואחריות.

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) March 27, 2023

'Dangerous decision'

With this reform, the government, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, aims to increase the power of elected officials over that of magistrates. But critics say the project jeopardizes the democratic character of the State of Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies believe it is necessary to restore a balanced balance of power between elected officials and the Supreme Court, which they consider politicized.

On Saturday, Yoav Gallant, who belongs to the same right-wing Likud party as Benjamin Netanyahu, said he feared that further divisions among the population over the issue would create a "real threat to Israel's security" and called for a month-long pause in the process.

The announcement of his dismissal led to the resignation of Israel's consul general in New York, Asaf Zamir. The diplomat described on Twitter the dismissal of the minister as a "dangerous decision" that "convinced him that (he) can no longer continue to represent this government".

The past 18 months as Israel's Consul General in New York were fulfilling and rewarding, but following today's developments, it is now time for me to join the fight for Israel's future to ensure it remains a beacon of democracy and freedom in the world. Here is the letter I sent: pic.twitter.com/Sfz8y3ALLv

— Asaf Zamir (@AmbAsafZamir) March 26, 2023

In Tel Aviv, protesters set tires on fire Sunday night, police said in a statement. An AFP journalist saw protesters burn a sofa and wood and blocked a highway. Armed with blue and white flags, protesters chanted slogans such as "Bibi get out!" as Benjamin Netanyahu was nicknamed.

Other spontaneous rallies were held outside the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem as well as in other cities across the country such as Haifa (north) and Beersheba (south), according to local media.

Prime Minister a "security threat"

"Israel's security has always been and will always be my life's mission," Gallant tweeted.

The day before, he had called for the "halt of the legislative process" for a month, before a crucial week that should be marked by other legislative provisions and new mass demonstrations, at the call of the organizers of the protest movement who called to "paralyze" the country. "I am attached to the values of the Likud (...) But major changes at the national level must be made through consultation and dialogue," the minister said on Saturday, calling at the same time for an end to the demonstrations.

"Netanyahu can fire Gallant, but he cannot dismiss reality and cannot dismiss the people of Israel who oppose the madness of the coalition," tweeted opposition leader Yair Lapid. "Israel's prime minister is a threat to Israel's security," he added.

He had welcomed Saturday night the words of Yoav Gallant, calling them "not courageous (...) for Israel's security."

Two Likud MKs tweeted their support for Gallant on Saturday, raising questions about whether the government could count on a majority if it went to a vote.

"Contempt of court"

Israeli lawmakers are expected to vote in the coming days on one of the central elements of the reform, at the heart of the concerns of its critics, providing for a change in the process of appointing judges.

In a speech broadcast on television Thursday night, Benjamin Netanyahu, who had so far remained on the sidelines on this issue, pledged to "put an end to the division among the people", while stressing his determination to advance reform.

The next day, he was called to order by the judiciary which deemed "illegal" his public intervention, given his ongoing trials for corruption.

And on Sunday the Supreme Court gave the prime minister a week to respond to an NGO petition calling for him to be sanctioned for "contempt of court" after that speech.

According to the petition of the Movement for a Quality Government in Israel, seen by AFP, Benjamin Netanyahu, indicted in a series of corruption cases, violated an agreement reached with the judiciary according to which an indicted prime minister does not have the right to act in an area that could place him in a situation of conflict of interest, according to a 2020 Supreme Court ruling.

With AFP

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