In view of the widespread protests in Israel against the course of the right-wing religious coalition, the US government has called for a compromise. “We are deeply concerned about today’s developments in Israel, which underscore the urgent need for a compromise,” the White House said on Sunday evening (local time). Democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of US-Israel relations.
Fundamental changes to a democratic system – such as the Israeli government is planning with a judicial reform – should be aimed for with the broadest possible support from the population, it said. “We continue to urge the Israeli leadership to find a compromise as soon as possible.”
Angry protests broke out on Sunday evening after the dismissal of Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant. Tens of thousands spontaneously gathered in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision.
There has been talk of growing resentment in the military for weeks
According to media reports, the army was put on increased alert because of the chaotic developments. Netanyahu had dismissed Galant, who belongs to his right-wing conservative Likud party, because of his call to halt judicial reform. There have been violent protests for months against the reform, which aims to curtail the influence of the Supreme Court and strengthen the government’s position of power at the expense of the independent judiciary.
Galant called on the government to engage in dialogue with critics on Saturday evening. He warned that national security is at stake. For weeks there has been talk of growing resentment in the military, and numerous reservists did not show up for duty in protest against the reform. The anger of many people, who fear for democracy in Israel, is breaking out in the streets.
After 200,000 people had already flocked there on Saturday, countless demonstrators with Israeli flags blocked the central road to Jerusalem on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv and set tires on fire. The police used cavalry squadrons and water cannons against the crowd, from which stones were thrown at the emergency services. In Jerusalem, angry people broke through a roadblock next to Netanyahu’s apartment building, where the head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet arrived for talks that night.