The sacking of Yoav Gallant

It’s rare that a government minister’s sacking causes such widespread issues – let’s take a look at what’s going on here.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, was sacked over the weekend after speaking out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul the country’s justice system.

Netanyahu summoned Gallant to a meeting and told him he no longer had faith in him as defence minister.

Shortly after his dismissal, Gallant wrote on Twitter: “The state of Israel’s security has always been and will always be my life’s mission.”

It seems the defence minister had won the backing of some fellow members of Netanyahu’s Likud party, but others on the far right had called for him to go. The leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, described Gallant’s sacking as a new low for the government.

Gallant’s dismissal triggered this latest round of protests, which have seen police and soldiers use water cannons to deter demonstrators near Netanyahu’s house. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.