Israeli Defense Minister Calls for Halt to Judicial Overhaul

 Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Israeli Defense Minister Calls for Halt to Judicial Overhaul

 Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday called on the government to halt legislation on changes to the judiciary, saying the bitter dispute over the measures poses a danger to national security.

"The deepening split is seeping into the military and security agencies - this is a clear, immediate and real danger to Israel's security. I will not facilitate this," Gallant said in a brief televised statement.

Though others in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right governing coalition have voiced some misgivings about the contentious judicial shake-up, Gallant's was the first clear, public objection by a senior cabinet member, according to Reuters.

"Legislation at this time must be stopped," Gallant said.

At least two fellow Likud party lawmakers, Yuli Edelstein and David Bitan, came out in support of Gallant and echoed his call for justice reforms to indeed be made, but with broad agreement.

It was unclear whether Netanyahu, wrapping up a visit to London and aiming to finalise legislation on at least one bill in the coming week, would heed their call.

Netanyahu - on trial for corruption which he denies - is under pressure from others in his cabinet who want him to proceed this week with a bill that would grant the ruling coalition more sway in selecting judges, which critics say would undermine judicial independence.

Highlighting tensions in Netanyahu's cabinet, far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged the premier to fire Gallant, who he said had caved to opposition pressure.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Gallant's "brave step" and said he was ready for talks on the reforms once the government stops the legislation.

But with a solid 64-seat majority in parliament, the coalition would still have enough votes without Gallant, unless more lawmakers back down from the proposed changes.

The judicial overhaul plan, announced on Jan. 4, has plunged Israel into its worst political crisis in years, as mass protests have swept the country.

It has also stirred concern abroad and warnings about a serious economic backlash.



Dozens Arrested as Investigation That Saw Istanbul’s Mayor Jailed Deepens

21 April 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: A student holds a Turkish flag during a high school students protest at Kugulu Park to protest the political process that started with the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
21 April 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: A student holds a Turkish flag during a high school students protest at Kugulu Park to protest the political process that started with the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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Dozens Arrested as Investigation That Saw Istanbul’s Mayor Jailed Deepens

21 April 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: A student holds a Turkish flag during a high school students protest at Kugulu Park to protest the political process that started with the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
21 April 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: A student holds a Turkish flag during a high school students protest at Kugulu Park to protest the political process that started with the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

Police in Istanbul detained 47 people Saturday in dawn raids linked to a corruption investigation that saw the city’s mayor imprisoned last month, leading to Türkiye's largest protests in more than a decade.

Among those arrested in Istanbul, the neighboring province of Tekirdag and the capital, Ankara, were senior officials from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, local media reported.

The March 19 detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule, saw hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets of Turkish cities to protest what many consider a politically motivated case. The government insists Türkiye's judicial system is independent.

In a statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said simultaneous operations were conducted against 53 suspects, six of whom remain at large. Searches were continuing at homes and workplaces, it added.

Demonstrations against Imamoglu’s jailing and wider democratic backsliding saw more than 2,000 people arrested for taking part in banned protests last month. Many of them were students but journalists and trades unionists were also among the detainees.

Imamoglu, who also faces terror-related charges in a parallel investigation launched last month, was nominated the presidential candidate for his Republican People’s Party, or CHP, while in prison. Elections are due in 2028 but could come earlier.

The cases against him, which include several others that pre-date the March investigations, could see him banned from politics.

The CHP-supporting Cumhuriyet newspaper reported that Saturday’s arrests included the deputy secretary general of Istanbul municipality, Imamoglu’s private secretary and the head of the city’s water company. Gokhan Gunaydin, a senior CHP lawmaker, said the municipality was being “effectively rendered inoperable” by the arrests.

The wife of Imamoglu’s adviser was also detained Saturday. The adviser was among some 100 arrested in March’s wave of arrests and remains in prison.

Demonstrations against what the opposition calls the “March 19 coup” are continuing, although on a smaller scale. Ankara governor’s office said Saturday that 30 people were arrested at a protest the previous evening. The CHP was due to hold a rally later Saturday in the Mediterranean city of Mersin.

The party won a swath of major cities in 2019 local elections, making further gains in last year’s polls. In Istanbul, Imamoglu’s victory ended 25 years of control for Erdogan’s party and its predecessors.