Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's direct attack on the government's judicial overhaul and his veiled threat to withhold support in the crucial votes this week have sparked a political firestorm, with the governing party Likud up in arms.
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Israel Hayom has learned that before Gallant decided to defy the party line with his live address on Saturday he prodded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet to discuss the impact of the reform on Israel's overall national security, to no avail. Netanyahu refused to do so even though Israeli law stipulates the government is tasked with this matter as a collective.
Senior officials told Israel Hayom that Netanyahu's refusal could be illegal and is at the very least "irresponsible" as this potentially amounts to shirking the role of prime minister.
Senior members of Likud warned that in light of Gallant's statement from Saturday, in which he said that the reforms pose a "clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state" he might soon get the ax in the government.
"A senior cabinet minister who votes against the Coalition sends a negative signal to the rest of the Coalition," one Likud member said. Gallant has stopped short of saying how he would vote when the reforms come up for a vote this week.
Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who heads the Opposition's State Party, said that "if a defense minister votes for a plan that he views as a clear and present danger to the state he must not stay on the job. I would advise the prime minister to listen to him rather than threaten him."
Following the Israel Hayom revelation on Netanyahu's refusal to convene the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, three former IDF chiefs of staff sent an urgent letter to Netanyahu asking him to do so.
The signatories – former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Moshe Ya'alon, and Dan Halutz – said in their letter that the prime minister had acted in a "reckless and unprecedented manner that shows poor judgment."
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