Netanyahu fires Galant as defense minister for demanding halt to judicial reform 

PM Binyamin Netanyahu Sunday night fired Yoav Galant as defense minister a day after the latter broadcast a call to halt the judicial overhaul over the security threat it posed. The prime minister was said to have lost confidence in Galant, accusing him of breaking ranks with the Likud party, and making an unauthorized statement. This initiative is claimed by Netanyauu to have moreover upended efforts to find a solution to the national crisis ignited by the projected reform. Galant responded by saying: “The security of the state of Israel was and always will be my life’s mission.” Likud lawmaker, Avi Dichter, a former Shin Bet Chief, was mentioned as Galant’s successor in Defense.

Netanyahu earlier spurned the defense minister’s request to call a security cabinet meeting to brief the ministers of the concerns he shared with the chief of staff and the Bin Bet director of the security damage to the armed forces accruing from pressing ahead with the reform. The minister’s dismissal further energized the anti-reform protests. Tens of thousands stepped up their rallies across the country Monday night. Opposition leader and former defense minister Benny Gantz tweeted: “We are facing a clear, immediate and tangible danger to Israel’s security. Tonight, Netanyahu put politics and himself above security … Yoav Galant put the security of the country above all other interests.”
The Basic Law on the Judges Appointment panel’s composition goes its second and third Knesset reading on Monday.