Israel's Channel Thirteen reported that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his intention to resign from his post if the ruling coalition continues to legislate changes to the judiciary unilaterally and without broad consensus.

Gallant expressed concerns about the impact of the proposed changes on what it described as societal values in Israel and on the military, especially soldiers and officers in the reserve ranks.

Israel's defense minister said calls to disobey military orders would compromise the army's ability to perform its tasks.

But Gallant has not yet commented on the channel's report, while Maariv quoted the Likud party as saying that reports of Galant's threat to resign were untrue.


Biden intervenes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had watered down his plan to overhaul the justice system, but the opposition said the plan remained a challenge to key Supreme Court legislation, paving the way for a constitutional confrontation.

After discussing the crisis with US President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said he would delay most bills except legislation amending Israel's system of selecting judges, which he is seeking to approve before the Knesset recess scheduled for April 2.

During Netanyahu's call, Biden expressed support for finding a "compromise" on the draft legal amendments, the White House announced.

"The President has offered to support current efforts to find a compromise on the proposed amendment to the judicial system consistent with those fundamental principles," the White House statement said.

Biden told the Israeli prime minister that "democratic societies are getting stronger with real checks and balances, and that the pursuit of radical changes must enjoy the widest possible popular support."

Proposed mitigation

The new government reform scheme includes a revised version of the bill to change the way judges are selected, while delaying a raft of other proposed bills to give time for negotiations.

The Israel Broadcasting Corporation said on Monday that under the amended proposal, the Supreme Court's committee for the selection and appointment of judges would have 11 members.

She explained that the composition of the committee will include 6 members of the government coalition, 3 ministers, 3 Knesset members, two members of the parliamentary opposition and 3 judges, including the president of the Supreme Court.

The coalition's solution also stipulates that the general hearing of judges will be held before the Judges Selection Committee and not in the Constitution Committee as has been the practice so far, and that the removal of a judge, if necessary, would require a majority of 9 members of the 11-member committee.


Control of the judiciary

The Israeli opposition rejected the new proposal, and its leader Yair Lapid said that Netanyahu's government had decided to re-control Israel's committee for appointing judges and turn it into a politicized committee.

Addressing his party's Knesset members, Lapid accused the committee for appointing judges of being the center of the coup against Israel's system of government, and said that if the changes were passed, his party would petition the Supreme Court.

The package of judicial amendments, sought by Netanyahu's coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has sparked unprecedented street demonstrations for weeks and raised concerns among Western allies who see it as a threat to the independence of Israel's justice system.