Israeli defence minister calls on government to halt judicial reforms

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called on the government to halt the judicial reforms on Saturday, citing security an “immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state,” due to the deep rifts in the army over the judicial overhaul. 

“The events happening in Israeli society are not staying out of the military. Feelings of rage, disappointment and fear have reached heights we have never seen before. The rift in society penetrates into the army and this is an immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state. I will not give my hand to this,” Gallant said.

“We need a change in the judiciary, but major changes must be done with dialogue. The legislative process must be stopped,” he added.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers in the IDF reserve have announced in recent weeks that they will no longer show up for duty if the reforms aren’t halted, posing a huge challenge to the army.

The defence minister suggested that the reforms be put on hold until after Passover, Independence Day and Memorial Day, while insisting that the mass protests be halted as well.

Shortly after his bombshell speech to the nation, Likud lawmakers Yuli Edelstein and David Bitan both welcomed Gallant’s proposal, while Opposition Leader Yair Lapid called the defence minister “brave.”

Israeli media also reported that Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter told Likud lawmakers that the judicial reforms must be halted until after the holidays.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu to fire Gallant, saying: “Gallant was elected by right-wingers and in practice promotes a left-wing agenda. At the moment of truth he collapsed under the pressure of the media and the protesters.”

The political drama comes as Prime Minister Netanyahu is in London where he met with Prime Minister Sunak on Friday. Netanyahu, however, held a speech on Thursday where he refused to halt the reforms, saying they will proceed as planned in the coming week.

Meanwhile, some 200,000 people demonstrated against the government’s reforms in Tel Aviv on Saturday, while tens of thousands people protested in some 150 locations across Israel.