Dispute over Israel’s judiciary: Defense Minister Galant has to go

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has sacked Defense Minister Galant over the future of the country’s judiciary. He had previously been the first member of the cabinet to call for at least a temporary stop to the restructuring.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Joaw Galant. This was announced by the Prime Minister’s office. Galant, who like Netanyahu belongs to the Likud party, had criticized his approach to the controversial restructuring of the judiciary. Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gwir, who belongs to Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partner Otzma Jehudit, had asked the head of government to dismiss Galant.

On Saturday, Galant described the bitter social dispute over the project as a threat to national security. He called for the legislative process to be halted. “The growing division seeps into the institutions of the military and defense. This is a clear, immediate and real threat to Israel’s security,” Galant said on television.

He had previously expressed concern that reservists had announced they would refuse military service in protest at judicial reform. Galant said he supports judicial reform. However, this requires a broad consensus.

Mass protests in several cities

The planned measures have triggered the worst domestic political crisis in Israel for years. Over the weekend, hundreds of thousands demonstrated again in several cities against the project. The focus of the reform is the procedure for selecting judges.

The government wants to increase its influence and limit the powers of the Supreme Court. She justified this with the accusation that judges had interfered in politics.

Critics accuse Netanyahu’s government of conservatives, religious fundamentalists and far-right nationalists of restricting the independence of the judiciary and democracy.