Israel: Netanyahu reinstates Gallant amid security tensions

Tel Aviv [Israel], April 11 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reinstated Defense Minister Yoav Gallant amid escalating security crisis, reversing course over an earlier decision to fire the minister who publicly called to freeze plans to overhaul the judicial system, reported The Times of Israel (ToI).

Netanyahu's decision to keep Gallant in place is seen by many as a major achievement for the anti-government protesters, who held spontaneous demonstrations in support of the Defence Minister after his firing was announced two weeks ago.

It also comes after recent polling that suggested that Netanyahu's decision to get rid of Gallant was significantly hurting him politically. He is facing dire polls and growing public anger and anxiety over a wave of attacks on several fronts, reported ToI.

"Minister Gallant and I are working together on countering the security challenges. We had tough differences but I decided to put our differences behind us," Netanyahu said at a press conference on Monday.

Shortly after Gallant tweeted a photo of himself with Netanyahu and wrote: "We are moving full speed ahead - for Israel's security."

Gallant's public call last month for a halt to the government's bitterly divisive judicial overhaul plan, which Gallant said had become a threat to Israel's security.

Last week, Netanyahu announced he would delay the dismissal. "I've decided to put our differences behind us," Netanyahu said

Netanyahu announced late last month that Gallant was fired. The decision set off a wave of spontaneous mass protests and a general strike that threatened to paralyze the country, forcing the Israeli leader to suspend his divisive plan to overhaul the judicial system.

Netanyahu also blamed the opposition and the previous government for recent violence, including attacks from Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip, reported ToI.

Over the last two weeks, Gallant's warning at least partially materialized when escalating tensions around Jerusalem's Temple Mount, also known as Haram al-Sharif, led to rocket fire from Gaza, an unprecedented rocket attack launched from Lebanon and a separate rocket attack from Syria.

Netanyahu was criticized harshly for the security deterioration and for the fact that he didn't walk back Gallant's sacking. Several polls showed that close to 70 per cent of the Israeli public and 60 per cent of Likud voters object to Gallant's firing, reported Axios.