As mass protests grip Israel, Yoav Gallant says the dispute over the measures poses a threat to the country’s security.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called on the far-right government to halt its plans to overhaul the judiciary as tens of thousands of people protested the measures.
In the first public dissent within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Galant said in a brief televised statement on Saturday: “The growing division is seeping into the military and defense institutions. This is a clear, immediate and real threat to Israel’s security.”
Gallant said Netanyahu’s coalition government should hold talks with the opposition and asked her to wait until after the Jewish Passover holiday, which begins April 5, before proceeding with the judicial changes.
Israel has been gripped by mass protests since the government announced its proposed judicial reforms in January. Every week, thousands of protesters take to the streets facing the police.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday in the latest protest against the plan. Local media estimate that 200,000 people turned out for the demonstration.
“We are here today to stand up and make our voices heard for the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Israelis who support the values upon which this country was founded,” high-tech worker Daniel Nisman told Agence France-Presse news agency.
“This is all we can hope for, he [Netanyahu] brings us back from the brink,” said the 36-year-old.
The government has pushed for changes that would limit the Supreme Court’s powers to rule against the legislative and executive branches of government and give coalition legislators more power in appointing judges.
The panel for selecting judges requires politicians and judges who sit on it to agree on appointments. The present proposal would change that and give coalition governments decisive say.
Critics say the changes will weaken the courts and give unbridled power to the government, jeopardizing rights and freedoms with catastrophic consequences for the economy and relations with Western allies, who have already raised concerns.
They also fear that Netanyahu will use legal pressure to freeze or annul his trial on corruption charges, which he denies. He has also denied having any such plan.
“I will not participate in this,” Gallant said, though he did not elaborate on what he would do if the government went ahead with its plans. His statement pointed to the first crack in Netanyahu’s coalition, the most right-wing government in Israeli history.
In recent weeks, dissatisfaction with the overhaul has even increased within the Israeli military, what Israelis consider the country’s most unifying institution.
Gallant had previously expressed concern about a wave of Israelis who have pledged not to heed calls for military reserve enlistment if reforms go ahead. He said this could weaken war readiness and national cohesion.
A growing number of Israeli reservists have threatened to withdraw from the voluntary service in recent weeks, posing a broad challenge to Netanyahu as he continues reform while on trial for corruption.
“The events taking place in Israeli society do not spare the Israeli armed forces,” Gallant said in his televised address following the end of the Jewish Sabbath. “From all sides, feelings of anger, pain and disappointment surface with an intensity I have never encountered before. I see the source of our strength being eroded.”
The judicial overhaul has also raised concerns abroad about Israel’s democratic health. Senior Treasury officials this week warned of an economic downturn. Gallant said he supported reforms to the justice system, but they must be broadly agreed.
Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netahyahu to sack Gallant shortly after his remarks.