More than half a million Israelis protest the dismissal of a minister who asked to “stop” Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform

More than half a million Israelis took to the streets this Sunday to demonstrate following the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who yesterday became the first government member to publicly oppose the development of the dispute. judicial reform promoted by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Demonstrations, which, according to local media, drew more than 600,000 people and could be the largest to date, took place in different parts of the country, especially in the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

In Tel Aviv, protesters blocked traffic on the city’s main thoroughfare, waving Israeli flags and chanting “Democracy, democracy.”

IN JerusalemLarge groups broke through one of the security cordons around the Prime Minister’s residence and clashed with the police.

In parallel, there were also massive demonstrations from the north to the south of the country, including large concentrations in the cities of Haifa in the north of the country and Beersheba in the south.

Unlike the protests against judicial reform that have taken place over the past twelve weeks, usually planned in advance and in consultation with the security forces, today’s demonstrations were spontaneous.

Rejection of Gallant’s dismissal Netanyahu it quickly spread to many areas of Israeli society, including trade unions, which, according to local media reports, could go on a major strike tomorrow.

In addition, the country’s universities announced they would suspend classes from tomorrow, and a group of mayors and municipal leaders expected them to go on a hunger strike.

On the other hand, the Israeli consul in New York, Asaf Zamir, announced his resignation shortly after the minister’s dismissal. “After today’s events, it’s time to join the fight for the future of Israel so that it continues to be a beacon of democracy and freedom in the world,” he wrote on his Twitter account.

Asked to ‘stop’ controversial judicial reform

Former Prime Minister Naftali Benet also expressed deep concern about the situation, saying that Israel faces the biggest danger since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

The prime minister’s decision to fire the defense minister comes less than 24 hours after he publicly called for a halt to the controversial reform.

“I say it loud and public for the good of the state Israel and our children, we need to stop this legislative process,” Gallant said last night during a televised speech.

“We need to stop demonstrations and protests and seek dialogue. Anything that damages the strength of the army and the security system must be stopped immediately,” he added, referring to the mass popular movement rejecting the reform and the growing number of army reservists refusing to train and serve in protest against the same measure.

Judicial reform, promoted by Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition partners, aims to give more power to the executive at the expense of the judiciary, whose independence will be undermined.

Despite criticism from countless circles and warnings about its impact not only on the separation of powers but also on the Israeli economy, the government continues to push forward some of the pillars of the reform, including a law that will give de facto control over the government on the selection committee of judges.

The government intends to pass this latest law this week, prompting the organizers of the demonstrations to step up the protests.

(with EFE information)