Riots broke out in Tel Aviv after the dismissal of the Minister of Defense

Thousands of protesters rioted in central Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The central highway of the city is blocked by activists, fires are burning on the roadway. Traffic in the city has been paralyzed for several hours. Residents began to take to the streets immediately after the prime minister announced personnel changes in the cabinet. The leader of the Israeli parliamentary opposition, Yair Lapid, also called on citizens to start protests. The Ayalon Highway is blocked in the area of ​​the government building complex, where, in particular, the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense is located. Earlier during the year, activists held weekly protests of thousands in the area. Protesters and the opposition believe that Netanyahu’s decision to fire Galant is partly due to the fact that the prime minister is trying to prevent a situation in which the ultra-Orthodox will be conscripted en masse for regular military service. and thus strengthen the ruling coalition. Galant is a supporter of the Orthodox conscription and argues that it would be in the country's current security interests, and religious parties in Netanyahu's ruling coalition oppose such a conscription. Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu announced Galant's dismissal due to a lack of trust between them and the inability to continue the military campaign in in the same vein in light of the emerging disagreements. The post of Defense Minister will be taken over by current Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Minister without portfolio Gideon Saar has been proposed to head the diplomatic department.