The United States declared on Sunday that it was “deeply concerned” about the situation in Israel, after the defense minister was fired after calling for an end to the country’s controversial judicial reform.
“We are deeply concerned by today’s events. [domingo] in Israel, again underscoring the urgent need for engagement,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
“Democratic values have always been, and must continue to be, a hallmark of the relationship between the United States and Israel,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant comes less than 24 hours after he publicly called for halting the country’s controversial judicial reform.
“I am saying loudly and publicly that for the sake of the State of Israel and our children, we must stop this legislative process,” Gallant said Saturday during a televised address.
The judicial reform, promoted by Netanyahu and far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition partners, seeks to give more power to the executive at the expense of the judiciary, whose independence would be undermined.
The Government intends to approve the law this week, which has motivated the intensification of protests against the reform.
After the resignation of the head of Defense, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in different areas of the country, such as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa or Beer Sheva, according to local media.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of people blocked traffic on the city’s main artery, waving Israeli flags and chanting “democracy, democracy.”
In Jerusalem, several hundred protesters broke through one of the security cordons near the Prime Minister’s residence and clashed with police.
Following Gallant’s resignation, Israeli unions may announce a general strike, local media reported.
Source: TSF
