Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on Sunday night to his mother, Fruma Gallant, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had fired Gallant from his post.
“You have intelligence and courage and I love you very much,” Gallant’s mother told him, adding, “I hope that everything will be alright.”
Gallant replied, “Everything will be okay, mom. Health comes first and everything will be okay.”
“Great, great,” his mother said. “When something good happens, call me.”
Video of the phone call:
The Prime Minister's Office announced earlier that Netanyahu made the decision to dismiss Gallant, a day after Gallant's public address regarding the judicial reform plan.
"We need a change in the legal system, but such changes are made through negotiation and discourse," Gallant said. "A victory for one of the parties will be a loss of the State of Israel. We must lead a participatory and unifying process."
"For the sake of Israel's security, the legislative process should be stopped, and negotiations should be held."
Gallant had spoken with Netanyahu on Thursday, ahead of his planned address, which was delayed at the prime minister's behest.
Amid concerns within the coalition regarding Netanyahu's commitment to the overhaul, the Prime Minister made a televised statement Thursday night, pushing off his trip to London.
In his speech, Netanyahu called on the opposition to negotiate towards a compromise, while vowing not to halt legislation already under consideration in the Knesset.
Netanyahu reportedly refused Gallant's request to convene the Cabinet in order to discuss the potential consequences of blowback from the judicial reforms, apparently prompting Gallant to make his own public statement Saturday night.