The Israel Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Galant "for security reasons" and plans to visit military bases with him.
The broadcaster quoted sources close to Netanyahu as saying that the Israeli prime minister "postponed the dismissal of the defense minister for security reasons," and the sources added that "due to the evolution of the security situation, Netanyahu will have to deal with the defense minister in the future."
The commission did not specify the nature of these security reasons, and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu or Gallant on the matter.
For his part, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz demanded that Netanyahu immediately announce his "decision to keep Galant in office."
Gantz added in a tweet that "Israel's security is not a performance for a play or a movie. Israeli citizens need a defense minister now."
Netanyahu announced Galant's dismissal last week after publicly objecting to controversial judicial reforms pushed by the government and demanding that they be frozen.
However, Gallant remained in his position and recently toured military sites in the West Bank.
Netanyahu's announcement of the dismissal of Defense Minister Galant (center) caused mass protests in Israel (Getty Images)
"Netanyahu and Gallant are expected to meet face-to-face this week," the broadcaster said, adding that "the crisis between them will be resolved, although Gallant is ready to apologize only for the timing of his words, not for their substance as Netanyahu demands," according to Likud officials.
Netanyahu also plans to visit Israeli troops accompanied by the defense minister to congratulate the soldiers on Passover, a sign of reconciliation between them, according to Reuters, citing officials.
Netanyahu's announcement of the dismissal of the defense minister sparked mass protests that prompted him to announce that the push for a "judicial reform" plan would be temporarily halted to a vote in the Knesset to allow for dialogue with the opposition.
Dialogue talks between the government and the opposition are under the auspices of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, but have yet to reach results.