Israel's Netanyahu fires defense minister over opposition to judicial overhaul; protests erupt

close

Video

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is back in power

Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst has the latest on the prime minister's sixth term on 'Special Report.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister after he warned that a planned judicial overhaul could fracture the country's military, prompting tens of thousands of citizens to take to the streets in protest on Sunday evening. 

Netanyahu's office released a short statement saying that the prime minister "has decided, this evening, to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant."

Gallant, a member of Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, said in a televised speech on Saturday that the judicial overhaul is "a clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state."

"As Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, I emphasize that the growing rift in our society penetrates the IDF and security agencies," Gallant said. "I will not allow this. But now, I declare loudly and publicly, for the sake of Israel's security, for the sake of our sons and daughters – the legislative process should be stopped."

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023.  (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

Netanyahu, who has argued that unelected Supreme Court justices wield too much power, has pushed forward with his plans for a judicial overhaul, which would give the governing coalition more say over judicial appointments and limit judicial review of laws. 

"We must all stand up strongly against refusals," Netanyahu tweeted on Sunday. The prime minister was in his office at the Knesset on Sunday evening for hours of "security and legal discussions," according to the Times of Israel. 

ISRAELI FORCES KILL THREE PALESTINIAN MILITANTS IN WEST BANK GUNFIGHT

Thousands of Israelis have protested the judicial overhaul for months. Demonstrators clashed with police outside Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem on Sunday evening, Haaretz reports. Some protesters breached barricades around the prime minister's home, according to Channel 12 News. 

Asaf Zamir, the Consul General of Israel in New York, resigned from his post on Sunday after Gallant's dismissal. Yair Golan, a member of the left-wing Meretz party and a former deputy chief of staff of the IDF, called on "all representatives of Israel in embassies spread across the globe to resign immediately." 

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Channel 12 News that Israel "is in the greatest danger since the Yom Kippur War."

The Movement for Quality of Government in Israel, which opposes the judicial overhaul and has helped organize the demonstrations, condemned Gallant's dismissal on Sunday. 

"Netanyahu has proved once again that he is unfit for office. He is not institutionally, ethically, or morally qualified," the organization said in a statement. "The Movement will consider legal action to stop this scandalous and disgraceful dismissal."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called Netanyahu a "danger to the security of the State of Israel" after Gallant's dismissal. 

"The dismissal of the Minister of Defense, Yoav [Gallant], just because he warned of a threat to Israel's security is a new low for an anti-Zionist government that harms national security and ignores the warning of all security officials," Lapid tweeted. "Netanyahu can fire Gallant, but he cannot fire reality and cannot fire the people of Israel who are standing up to the insanity of the coalition."

ISRAELI PROTESTERS TAKE TO STREETS TO BLAST NETANYAHU 'JUDICIAL REFORMS' AS PM CALLS FOR UNITY

Nearly 300 Israeli Air Force reserve soldiers and officers did not report for training earlier this month in protest of the judicial overhaul, according to i24NEWS. Hundreds of protesters who described themselves as volunteer reservists from military special forces and intelligence agencies also wrote a letter last week saying that they would not turn up for duty, the Israeli news outlet reported. 

Universities across Israel will be shutting down on Monday, while some doctors are considering going on strike, Channel 12 News reports. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a hearing at the Magistrate's Court in Rishon LeZion, Israel, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.  (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that U.S. officials are "deeply concerned by today’s developments out of Israel." 

"As the President recently discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu, democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship," Watson said. "Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances, and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Netanyahu's coalition in parliament passed the first of a series of laws on Thursday that says an Israeli leader can only be deemed unfit to rule for health or mental reasons. The opposition claims that the law was passed specifically for Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for fraud, breach of trust, and other charges. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.