Jerusalem (CNN) Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has dramatically broken ranks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for a halt to government efforts to reform Israel’s court system.
The minister’s speech on Saturday night — when Netanyahu was out of the country on an official visit to the United Kingdom — made him the first government minister to stop the controversial law that would have weakened the independence of the courts.
Gallant is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party. His comments open a rift in Israel’s already well-balanced coalition government that could mean the plans do not progress.
He said the halt was necessary “for Israel’s security.”
“Any show of refusal that eats away at the strength of the IDF and harms the security system must be stopped immediately,” Gallant said, a reference to the refusal of some Israel Defense Forces reservists to train in protest of the government’s plans.
As he delivered his speech, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators were outside the country protesting against the plans for the 12th week in a row.
Under the proposals, the government would have control over the appointment of judges, and parliament would have the power to override Supreme Court decisions.
The government maintains that the changes are essential to rein in the Supreme Court, which it sees as insular, elitist, and no longer representative of the Israeli people. Opponents say the plans threaten the foundations of Israel’s democracy.
The protest of military reservists is seen as a particular concern for the Israeli government, as they are regularly called up to train and serve, even in peacetime.
Shortly after the defense minister’s comments, Israel’s far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on Netanyahu to fire Gallant.
“Gallant acted tonight on blackmail and threats from all the anarchists calling for resistance and using [Israel Defense Forces] as a bargaining tool,” Gvir tweeted.
“Gallant was elected by the votes of right-wing voters and in practice promotes a left-wing agenda. At the moment of truth he caved under the pressure of the media and the protesters. I call on the Prime Minister to remove him immediately.”
Piling further pressure on Netanyahu, Israel’s High Court on Sunday gave him a week to respond to a petition calling for him to be held in contempt of court.
Legal action by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel follows The attorney general told Netanyahu that he acted illegally and violated a court-imposed conflict of interest order by saying he would personally involve himself in the judicial overhaul.
Part of the bill — which effectively removes the power of the courts to declare a prime minister unfit for office — already pushed through.
Critics say Netanyahu is pushing the changes because of his own ongoing corruption trial; Netanyahu denied this.
Netanyahu himself has given no indication that he will back down. In a speech on Thursday, he said he would address the concerns of “both sides,” but pledged to press ahead with reform plans.
Likud lawmaker Danny Danon said it was too early to know if there were enough rebels in the party to stop the law, telling CNN, “We’ll only know Monday,” when party members meet in the Knesset. or parliament.
Netanyahu and his allies control 64 seats in the 120-seat legislature, so in theory the five Likud rebels could strip the coalition of an outright majority. But lawmakers can abstain or abstain, reducing the number of votes a law needs to pass.
Or, as Danon put it on CNN: “You don’t really need 61.”