Netanyahu Cracks Down On Internal Dissent, Insists Judicial Overhaul Will Go Ahead

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly managed to quell a rebellion within the ranks of his own party as Defence Minister Yoav Gallant cancelled a public announcement after meeting with Netanyahu, who vowed to press ahead with the contentious judicial overhaul.

• Local source reports suggested that the Israeli security establishment has been warning the head of government that his judicial reforms are provoking backlash among military personnel, undermining Israel's deterrence capabilities.
• Gallant was expected to make a statement last night calling for a pause to the judicial overhaul but his press briefing was delayed following his meeting with the Premier, who then delivered his own statement.
• The Times of Israel reported that while Gallant was en route to the the Prime Minister's office, "sources close to Justice Minister Yariv Levin (...) leaked dark threats to the media about consequences for Netanyahu if he halted the process," while Likud sources warned that Netanyahu could lose power if he stops the legislation.
• In his statement, Netanyahu vowed to push core elements of the judicial overhaul through the Knesset next week as planned, even as he stroke some conciliatory notes, promising to take into consideration the concerns expressed by Gallant and opponents of his reforms.
• Netanyahu's statement inspired a sharp pullback in the shekel, which had earlier staged a sharp rally on the back of reports suggesting that Gallant might urge the Prime Minister to pause the judicial overhaul.