Defense Minister Gallant says national resilience hurt by judicial reform debate
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the country's "national resilience" has been hurt by the debate surrounding the judicial reforms.
According to Gallant, the damage has increased the security risk to the nation.
Gallant briefed lawmakers in the committee about the status of the IDF's preparedness for war amid mass protests against the judicial legislation and the refusal to serve by some military reservists.
The defense minister recently stressed that Israel’s existence depends on a strong and coherent Israeli army. The IDF issued a warning that its operational readiness has already been undermined by the decision of many reservists to stop volunteering.
“We are allowed to disagree, but we must not harm the IDF in the name of one political opinion or another. We have no existence in this country without the Israel Defense Forces," he said.
Gallant has emerged as the moderating voice within the Netanyahu government. He admitted to voting in favor of the contentious bill to remain in government.
“If I were to vote against the law, I would have to resign. If I had left, it wouldn’t have changed anything. It’s best that I stay at the wheel at such a time,” the defense minister said.
The Ministry of Defense recently announced that Gallant was trying to reach a wide national consensus.
"Gallant is taking measures in order to reach a wide consensus and ensure the security of the State of Israel while leaving the IDF separate from political discourse," according to the statement.
Gallant spoke to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by phone, affirming that “Israel is a strong democracy and will remain so in the future."
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
