Israel’s president has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop the legislative process immediately” after the PM triggered widespread protests by sacking his defence minister for objecting to judicial reforms.
President Isaac Herzog, the head of state who is supposed to remain above politics, said “the eyes of the whole world are on you” following Mr Netanyahu‘s dismissal of Yoav Gallant on Sunday.
Mr Gallant broke ranks as an increasing number of Israeli Defence Force reservists have been going on strike in protest at the government’s proposals.
The proposals would see ministers hold more control over the appointments of judges, including in the Supreme Court, while diminishing that body’s ability to veto legislation or rule against the government.
Tens of thousands of protesters turned out on Sunday night, blocking Tel Aviv’s main highway and breaking barricades near Mr Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem.
Demonstrations also took place in Beersheba and Haifa.
Image: Large bonfires were lit in Tel Aviv
Mr Herzog said: “I am addressing the prime minister, the members of the government and the companies and members of the coalition: the feelings are difficult and painful. Deep concern surrounds the entire nation.
“Security, the economy, society – all are threatened. The eyes of all the people of Israel are on you. The eyes of the entire Jewish people are on you. The eyes of the whole world are on you.
“For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of the responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately.
“I appeal to the heads of all Knesset factions, coalition and opposition alike, to put the citizens of the country above all else, and to act responsibly and courageously without further delay.
“Come to your senses now! This is not a political moment, this is a moment for leadership and responsibility.”
In a statement on Sunday night, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson had said: “We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible. We believe that is the best path forward for Israel and all of its citizens.
“As the president (Joe Biden) recently discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu, democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship.
“Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances, and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.”
Image: Protesters broke barricades near the home of Benjamin Netanyahu
People have taken to the streets over the past 13 weeks to protest against the judicial plan in the largest demonstrations in the country’s 75-year history.
One of those demonstrating on Sunday told Sky’s Alistair Bunkall that the proposed overhaul of the judiciary was “damaging the country […] and the unity of the country”.
“I’m really scared for the future of this country,” he said.
Image: A water cannon is used against protesters in Jerusalem
Protests are set to continue this week as the right-wing and staunchly conservative government moves to push its proposals through the Knesset, its legislature, with universities announcing a general strike for Monday.
Israel’s police chief said officers would not allow public disturbances and damage to symbols of government.
Netanyahu ‘a threat to security’
Hours after the announcement that Mr Gallant had been fired, Israel’s consul general in New York, Asaf Zamir, quit.
He said it was time for him “to join the fight for Israel’s future”.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted that Mr Netanyahu had become “a threat to the security of the state of Israel”.
Image: Protesters in Tel Aviv
Mr Gallant had called for a pause in the legislation until after next month’s Independence Day holidays, citing a threat to Israel’s national security.
On Saturday, he said: “I declare loudly and publicly, for the sake of Israel’s security, for the sake of our sons and daughters, the legislative process should be stopped.
“The victory of a single side, whether it be in the halls of the Knesset [Israeli parliament], or on the streets of our cities, will lead to a loss for the state of Israel.”
Image: Yoav Gallant has been sacked as Israel’s defence minister
Mr Netanyahu’s office did not provide further details, but his public diplomacy minister said Mr Gallant was told of his sacking after being summoned to the PM’s office.
He was told Mr Netanyahu “doesn’t have any faith in him any more, and therefore he is fired”.
In a statement after his sacking, Mr Gallant said: “The security of the state of Israel has always been and will always remain the mission of my life.”
A replacement for him has not been announced.
NETANYAHU’S DRAMATIC MOVE IS A RISKY ONE – WITH NO GOOD SOLUTION IN SIGHT
This dramatic move isn’t without its risks.
Mr Gallant wasn’t the only one to voice concerns about the protests gripping Israel.
Other senior figures in Israel’s security establishment, including the IDF chief of staff and head of the internal intelligence agency, Shin Bet, have also warned of the corrosive effect the reforms are having on Israel’s security.
Hundreds of Israeli military reservists have gone on strike in protest, threatening the military’s operational capabilities.
By firing Mr Gallant, Mr Netanyahu is effectively siding with the far-right voices in his coalition over the people entrusted with Israel’s security.
The previous defence minister, Benny Gantz, has accused Mr Netanyahu of putting “politics and himself above security”.
The main opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid has described it as “an act of madness, indicating a complete lack of judgement”.
Mr Gallant said he had tried to raise his concerns in private and had asked for cabinet meetings to talk about a different way forward.
His calls were ignored, and he has now been punished for airing his views in public.
The security situation in the West Bank is as fragile as it has been for decades.
Talk of a Third Intifada (uprising) has been increasing and the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, just a few days old, is being seen as a crucial moment.
Removing the defence minister, at this point in time, is a big call.
Mr Gallant was supported by three other politicians from Mr Netanyahu’s party when he spoke out last night.
His firing might harden those views and threaten Mr Netanyahu’s majority of four in the Knesset. If other politicians are harbouring private doubts, they too might now feel forced to speak out.
Neither side is backing down. The national demonstrations are growing in size, almost by the day now, and Mr Netanyahu has said he will continue to drive through reforms at the pace before the Passover recess.
Right now, it’s hard to see any good solution to Israel’s crisis.
A hospital in Gaza that was hit in an Israeli strike, killing 20 people including five journalists, has rejected the Israeli military’s claim it struck the facility because it was targeting what it believed was a Hamas surveillance camera as well as people identified as militants.
The statement was part of the military’s initial inquiry into the attack on Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a “tragic mishap”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the back-to-back strikes on the largest hospital in southern Gaza were ordered because soldiers believed militants were using the camera to observe Israeli forces.
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1:57
Who were the journalists killed by Israel?
It also said it was because Israel has long believed Hamas and other militant groups are present at hospitals – though Israeli officials have rarely provided evidence to support such claims.
“This conclusion was further supported, among other reasons, by the documented military use of hospitals by the terrorist organisations throughout the war,” the IDF claimed.
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Image: Nasser hospital in Gaza after it was damaged by an Israeli strike. Pic: AP
It said six of those killed in the strike were “terrorists”.
The military chief of general staff acknowledged several “gaps” in the investigation so far, including the kind of ammunition used to take out the camera.
The military also said there is an ongoing investigation into the chain of command that approved the strike.
However, the army added: “The chief of the general staff emphasised that the IDF directs its activities solely toward military targets.”
Image: Pics: Reuters
In a statement, the hospital said: “Nasser hospital categorically reject these claims and any claims made by Israeli authorities to justify attacks on hospital premises.”
Among those killed was 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a journalist who worked for the Associated Press, Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammed Salama, Reuters contractor Hussam al Masri, Reuters photographer Moaz Abu Taha and Middle East Eye freelancer Ahmed Abu Aziz.
The IDF said journalists working for Reuters and the Associated Press “were not a target of the strike”.
The attack was described as a “double-tap” attack, which sees civilians or medical workers rushing to help those injured hit in a second strike. They have previously been seen in the wars in Ukraine and Syria.
Hospitals have been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces throughout the 22-month war in Gaza.
The war began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
Israel’s military offensive against Hamas has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its count but says the majority are women and children.
Nadav is tired, frustrated and haunted, yet he smiles when we meet. For 690 days, he has been waiting for the world to change, and he’s still waiting, and hoping.
Back on 7 October 2023, his father Tal was seized by Hamas and taken to Gaza. Tal is now dead – it’s not clear when he died, but the simple, brutal fact of his death is not in doubt.
What is unknown – indeed, what cannot be known – is when Tal’s body will be returned to Israel.
“My dad is still being held captive, although he is not alive. My life is stuck,” Nadav tells me. “In order to continue living and start the healing process, we need them home and we need the war to be over.”
Image: Pic: Ilia Yefimovich/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Around him, banners, signs and the sounds of another day of national protest. Motorways were brought to a halt, huge numbers of people went on strike, all in the name of demanding that the Israeli government do more to prioritise the return of all the hostages.
In Nadav’s mind, that means searching for compromise and negotiating a ceasefire that ends the war and allows for the return of all the hostages – believed to number 20 who are still alive, and a further 30 who have died.
“We have seen that just using military strength is not enough,” he says. “We now have to do whatever it takes, even if it’s not perfect.”
“Even if that means negotiating with Hamas?” I ask. He nods. “This war has to come to an end.”
It is a theme we hear again and again. In the crowds that pour into Hostages Square, there is almost unanimity.
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Protests in Israel ‘lack sufficient backing’
“The prime minister is acting like a tyrant,” declares one man as he marches down the street. “He doesn’t listen to us – his subjects. He just listens to the people in his cabinet who think that war is always the answer.”
Around us, we regularly see people wearing T-shirts with the slogan “Stam Wars”, written in the familiar Star Wars style.
Image: Protesters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Pic: Ilia Yefimovich/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
It is a biting comment dressed up as a joke – stam is a derogatory slang word, basically meaning pointless. “Our soldiers are being sacrificed,” says Yoram, as he strolls down the road towards the square.
This, of course, is no random sample. Among the crowd are many who viscerally dislike Benjamin Netanyahu, and the truth is that his supporters would be unlikely to join this crowd.
And yet they all want the same thing. The prime minister insists that the return of the hostages is his driving motivation, just as the people we spoke to told us that getting back the hostages was their ambition.
The difference is that Netanyahu seems unwilling to negotiate, and is convinced that the way to push Hamas into submission is to attack them relentlessly. Those on the protest, including relatives and loved ones of the hostages, are calling for talks to be placed ahead of tanks.
Is Netanyahu worried? Probably not. Just as the protesters were gathering in Hostages Square, Israel’s security cabinet was meeting to discuss the future of the war. Plans to encircle and occupy Gaza City were discussed. Proposals for a ceasefire were, apparently, not even mentioned.
Ukrainians say they are in danger of losing the drone arms race with Russia and need more help.
And that is worrying not just for Ukraine, because the drone is becoming the likely weapon of choice in other future conflicts.
Sky News has been given exclusive access to a Ukrainian drone factory to watch its start up ingenuity at work. Ukrainians have turned the drone into their most effective weapon against the invaders.
But they are now, we are told, losing the upper hand in the skies over Ukraine.
General Cherry Drones was started by volunteers at the beginning of the war, making a 100 a month, but is now producing 1,000 times that. The company’s Andriy Lavrenovych said it is never enough.
Image: Andriy Lavrenovych
“The Russians have a lot of troops, a lot of vehicles and our soldiers every day tell us we need more, we need more weapons, we need better, we need faster, we need higher.”
The comments echo the words of Ukraine’s leader, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told reporters this week “the Russians have increased the number of drones, while due to a lack of funding, we have not yet been able to scale up.”
The factory’s location is a closely-guarded secret, moved often. Russia strikes weapons factories when it can.
In a nondescript office building we watched drones being assembled and stacked in their thousands. Put together like toys, they are hand assembled and customised.
The quadcopters vary in size, some carry explosives to attack the enemy. Others fly as high as six kilometres to ambush Russian surveillance drones.
Image: A combat drone is prepared by a Ukrainian soldier in the frontline town of Chasiv Yar. Pic:24th King Danylo Separate Brigade/Reuters
A $1,000 (£743) Ukrainian drone can bring down an enemy aircraft worth 300 times as much.
Downstairs each drone is tested before it’s sent to the front. Nineteen-year-old Dima – not his real name – used to play with drones at home before it was occupied in Kherson Oblast.
Now he works here using his skills to check the drones are fit for battle.
But Russia is catching up. Sinister propaganda released this week filmed at one of its vast new drone factories shows hundreds of Geranium delta wing attack drones lined up ready to be launched at Ukraine.
Russia has refined the technology provided by Iranians to produce faster, more lethal versions of their Shahed drones. They have wreaked havoc and carnage, coming in their hundreds every night and killing scores of civilians. Ukraine expects 1,000 a night in the months ahead.
Russia is using scale and quantity to turn the tables on Ukrainians. And it is mastering drones controlled by fibre optic thread, trailing in their wake, that cannot be jammed.
Image: Oleksandr “Drakar”, head of new product development
Oleksandr “Drakar”, head of new product development, showed us his company’s prototype fibre optic model. It is more effective than the Russians, he told us, but added: “The Russians began using the technology earlier and have scaled up production.
“They’ve had considerable help from the Chinese – entire factories there are under contract to supply fibre exclusively to Russia, producing it in vast quantities.”
Russia’s Chinese allies, who claim to be neutral in this conflict, are also throttling the supply of microchips and other parts vital to drone production. The West is not doing enough, say Ukrainians, to counterbalance the threat.
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16:01
Is NATO ready for drone war?
It is a constant race to beat the other side, innovation met by more innovation. This conflict is revolutionising warfare into a sci-fi battle of machines.
Ukrainians say 80% of battlefield strikes are now carried out by drones.
Whoever has the upper hand with them in this conflict is likely to have the edge in future wars. If the West wants to be on the winning side, it will need to give Zelenskyy and his drone start-up companies more help to maintain their edge.