Israeli Media Summary – From the Commentators

Channel 12’s news site, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, a former director of IDF Military Intelligence, writes “Prime Minister Netanyahu has clearly stopped functioning independently and is swaying on a rudderless boat on the waves… In the Yom Kippur War… we only learned about the failure after we returned from war. A similar catastrophe awaits us at this time, only this is not just the ‘2023 failure’ —this is being done deliberately by the prime minister of the State of Israel, at a time when all the information indicates that the State of Israel is galloping toward an abyss. The prime minister and the extremists in his government are spearheading processes that are unravelling the State of Israel from within as a properly-run country; they are destroying its economy, its security and its political and moral standing in the world. They are the real anarchists and it is their actions that we all must stop. No fight is more justified.”

Yediot Ahronot’s Nahum Barnea comments: “Gallant’s ouster is a blaring example of abuse of power, and is an omen for what awaits us in the future. Netanyahu has reached a point at which he is convinced that he is above the law, including above the laws that he personally voted for in the past. On Saturday night Gallant said that pressing forward with unilateral legislation was creating a ‘clear, immediate and palpable danger’ to state security… Netanyahu is leading the Israelis into a domestic conflict of a kind never experienced in the country’s 75 years. He has an uncontrollable destructive streak, and no one is there to rein him in.”

Israel Hayom’s Yoav Limor focuses on Netanyahu’s decision not to agree to Gallant’s request to convene the Security Cabinet. “The last time the security cabinet was convened was more than a month ago, on February 12. Several highly significant developments have ensued in the interim, developments that must be addressed by Israel’s supreme security forum… the agreement that was reached between Saudi Arabia and Iran to renew diplomatic relations… the wave of terrorism and preparations for the month of  Ramadan; the erosion in relations with the United States; and the terror attack that Hezbollah carried out at Megiddo junction by means of a terrorist whom that organization dispatched from Lebanon… Yesterday, a senior official described the failure to convene the security cabinet to discuss the above-cited issues as ‘reckless.’ He said, ‘Each one of those issues has dramatic repercussions for the country. The ministers need to be fully familiar with them. That isn’t their right; it’s their duty… At any moment a war could break out on another front. The ministers haven’t got a clue about the situation and what is liable to happen.’”

A Haaretz editorial declares: “Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant is… evidence that the prime minister’s judgment has completely deserted him. Instead of stabilising the defence establishment and stopping the spread of refusal to serve, Netanyahu dealt Israel’s security a severe blow on Sunday… The Likud MKs who are still stubbornly keeping mum and supporting the legislation must be told clearly that Israel is at a historic crossroads and its future is in their hands. They must not remain silent over Netanyahu’s irresponsible decision to fire Gallant and thereby lend a hand to Israel’s destruction.” Haaretz’s columnist Amos Harel writes that “Every day of crisis brings a new nadir,” but that the sacking of Gallant “seems to break all previous records… Israel looked like a banana republic Sunday night. After 75 years, it has instantaneously closed the gap between it and its neighbours in the region… It’s hard to think of one senior defence official who wasn’t shocked to the core by Netanyahu’s decision.”

The Times of Israel’s editor, David Horowitz, writes “Rather than heed Gallant’s warning, Netanyahu doubled down, as he has time and again over the past three months, amid escalating national protests and warnings of catastrophe from economists, bank chiefs, academics, the tech sector, international allies, and almost every past IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad chief… Far from quelling dissent, however, Netanyahu hugely escalated it… For those who were out on the streets, and many more besides, it is Netanyahu who is the “clear, immediate, and tangible threat” to the nation.”

Ynet’s Ron Ben-Yishai writes that Netanyahu “has yet to present any contradicting information to the dire warnings he had received from Galant and others, that the military was weakening. Legal experts will say that the prime minister acted against national security and that the sacking of his defence minister, who was doing his job, was illegal… Netanyahu is either ignorant of the repercussions of his actions or indifferent to them and Israeli citizens are already paying the price.”

Maariv’s Ben Caspit says “Last night, Tel Aviv was blockaded, the country was on fire, hundreds of thousands of people… all flooded the streets and roads, with flags, so in the midst of all this, after 11 at night, the Knesset committee convened Hastily to advance the votes on the Deri Law, the Gifts Law and the Law on the Commission for the Appointment of Judges. A live demonstration of a disturbed detachment from reality, of a looting in the middle of the night, of a…  gang that stole a country and is now trying to cram it into the trunk to escape the scene of the crime.”

Walla News’s Barak Ravid argues “There is no other way to describe what Netanyahu did but as a move taken by dictators such as Putin or Erdogan. Many officials who have met Netanyahu since the formation of the government or followed his conduct in recent weeks were amazed that the prime minister abandoned all the conservative, calculated and cautious conduct he had followed for years. They saw another person whom they no longer recognized – a politician without any judgment whose moves can no longer be predicted.”

UK Media Summary

The BBC, The Guardian, Sky News, The Independent, The Financial Times, The Sun, The Daily Mail report that tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister. Yoav Gallant had spoken out against controversial plans to overhaul the justice system. In Jerusalem, police and soldiers used water cannon against demonstrators near Mr Netanyahu’s house. The Financial Times, Sky News and The Evening Standard focus on President Isaac Herzog calling on the government to halt the reforms. “For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately,” he said on Twitter, adding that “the eyes of all the people of Israel are on you”. Sky News and The Telegraph report on protests near Netanyahu’s home. The BBC is also running a live feed for updates.

The BBC, The Times, The Evening Standard, The Guardian and The Telegraph also all reported earlier on the firing of Gallant itself. Gallant had said: “The growing rift in our society is penetrating the [Israel Defense Forces] and security agencies,” Mr Gallant said. “This poses a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state. I will not lend my hand to this.”

The Evening Standard reports Benjamin Netanyahu was greeted by shouts of “shame” from pro-democracy protesters as he met Rishi Sunak in Downing Street amid a backlash over the Israeli prime minister’s judicial overhaul. Protesters waving Israeli flags and placards stating their aim of “saving Israeli democracy” could be heard as the UK Prime Minister shook his counterpart’s hand outside No 10 on Friday morning. Cries of “Busha”, or shame in Hebrew, could be heard from hundreds of demonstrators expressing their anger at Mr Netanyahu’s legislation that they say will drag the nation towards autocracy.

The Spectator publishes a long read: “Israeli politics is rarely quiet, but recent events have taken the drama and volubility to another level. The country has faced 11 weeks of protests against the make-up of Israel’s governing coalition and reforms to the country’s judicial system. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets. Roads have been blocked. The Knesset and politicians’ homes in Jerusalem have been targeted. Israeli police have used mounted officers, stun grenades and water cannon to disperse demonstrators.”

The Guardian publishes an opinion calling on Rishi Sunak to pay more attention to protests in Israel, saying “Israel may be on the verge of transitioning from a liberal democracy to a nondemocratic weak state. There are potential geopolitical risks, not just within Israel but in the wider Middle East, that its allies should be gravely concerned about.”

Reuters reports that Israel and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday signed a free trade pact into effect, reducing or removing tariffs on about 96% of goods traded between the nations, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said. The countries first reached the agreement last May, promising to boost bilateral trade after they normalized ties in 2020 in a U.S.-brokered deal. The deal will also allow Israeli companies to gain access to government tenders in the UAE, the ministry said.

The BBC reports that The United Arab Emirates has released an Israeli woman a year after she was convicted on drug charges. Fidaa Kiwan flew home on Sunday. Israel called her pardon a “special gesture” to President Isaac Herzog, who had requested her release. Ms Kiwan was arrested on April 2021 for possessing cannabis and cocaine. Her initial death sentence was reduced to life in prison on appeal. Israel and the UAE normalised relations under a US-brokered deal in 2020.