Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Threatens To Resign If Judicial Reform Halted

Tel Aviv, MINA – Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would resign from the government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stops plans for changing the judiciary, Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

Netanyahu held talks with members of his coalition government to discuss the hurdles standing in the way of suspending the controversial judicial overhaul plan.

After hours of meetings, Netanyahu left his office Monday afternoon for the Knesset (Israel’s parliament), as thousands demonstrated against the planned changes.

According to the Maariv newspaper, Netanyahu said he would announce the suspension of judicial inquiries due to disagreements among coalition members.

Meanwhile, Ben-Gvir, chairman of the right-leaning Otzma Yehudit Party, has threatened to resign from the government if judicial reforms stop.

The Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, also threatened to resign, but he called for a delay in voting on the controversial plan to allow room for dialogue with the opposition.

Tensions spiked across Israel on Sunday, after Netanyahu sacked Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over his calls to halt plans for justice reform.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Gallant said he would remain in his position if Netanyahu reversed his dismissal decision.

Apart from the military, the planned judicial overhaul has drawn massive public protests for months, with demonstrators calling the plans a government usurpation.

On trial for corruption, Netanyahu claimed that his plan would improve democracy and restore balance between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)