WORLD NEWS | Israel: Netanyahu restores Gallant amid security tensions

Tel Aviv [Israel]April 11 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reinstated Defense Minister Yoav Gallant amid the escalating security crisis, reversing an earlier decision to fire the minister who publicly called for Freeze plans to reform the judiciary, according to The Times of Israel (ToI).

Netanyahu’s decision to keep Gallant in office was seen by many as a major achievement for anti-government protesters, who staged spontaneous demonstrations in support of the defense minister after announcing his dismissal two weeks ago.

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It also comes after recent polls showed that Netanyahu’s decision to get rid of Gallant has hurt him badly politically. He is facing dire polls and growing public anger and anxiety over a wave of attacks on multiple fronts, ToI reported.

“Secretary Grant and I are working together on security challenges. We have serious differences, but I have decided to put them aside,” Netanyahu told a news conference on Monday.

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Shortly after, Grant tweeted a photo of himself with Netanyahu and wrote: “We are moving full speed ahead – for Israel’s security.”

Grant last month publicly called for a halt to the government’s deeply divisive judicial reform program, which Grant said had become a threat to Israel’s security.

Last week, Netanyahu announced he would delay his removal.Netanyahu: “I decided to put aside our differences

Netanyahu announced the firing of Grant late last month. The decision sparked a wave of spontaneous mass protests and a general strike that threatened to paralyze the country, forcing Israeli leaders to suspend their divisive plans to reform the judicial system.

Netanyahu also blamed the opposition and the former government for the latest violence, including attacks from Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip, ToI reported.

Galante’s warning has at least partially come true in the past two weeks as tensions escalated around Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, also known as the Haram al-Sharif, leading to rocket fire from Gaza, an unprecedented rocket attack from Lebanon and Separate rocket strikes in Syria.

Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism for the deteriorating security situation and for his failure to walk back on Gallant’s firing. According to Axios, multiple opinion polls show that nearly 70 percent of the Israeli public and 60 percent of Likud voters oppose the firing of Gallant. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)