PM Netanyahu Postpones Judicial Reshuffle, What Is The Fate Of The Minister Of Defense Who Was Fired?

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Wikimedia Commons/Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israeli Defense Minister sacked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and made the country's constitutional crisis even more heated, remaining in office indefinitely, aides said on Tuesday, pointing to the government's doubts of taking further steps.

In an unprecedented three-month protest against a nationalist-religious coalition plan to overhaul the judiciary, Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday put a hit on the button and called for compromise negotiations with the far-right opposition.

"Our goal is to reach an agreement," he said at an event, likening this crisis as an argument among families gathering to celebrate the Jewish festival which will start next week.

But the prospects seem gloomy. The opposition, arguing that there is still a bill debated in parliament, threatened to boycott every conversation if it continued.

"The walls of suspicion and hostility are higher than ever," President Isaac Herzog said in a speech, which previously offered to mediate between the two sides.

President Herzog will hold his first meeting with delegates on Tuesday, his office said.

The suspension of reforms stabilized Israel's shaken economy and was welcomed by Western countries. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Reuters he launched a diplomatic reach aimed at restoring Israel's democratic credentials internationally.

Regarding the reshuffle of the judicial system, PM Netanyahu's credibility was also questioned, after an open dissent from several senior colleagues from the Likud Party.

Among them was Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who on Saturday last week publicly called for a halt to the reshuffle, in order to prevent anti-reform protests from spreading into the military. A day later, PM Netanyahu said he fired the Gallant.

Usually, the dismissal will take effect on Tuesday. However, Gallant's aides said he never got a notification letter that was officially required to start a 48-hour tally leading to his dismissal from office, and continue to work.

When asked whether Gallant would be maintained or replaced, Prime Minister spokesman Netanyahu and Likud did not comment.