Late on Sunday night, massive crowds filled the streets of Tel Aviv in protest after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for opposing plans to overhaul Israel's court system. Protesters blocked streets and bridges, including the Ayalon Highway, and set fires, causing acrid black smoke to billow into the sky. Though protests had thinned out by around 2 a.m. local time, security forces were still using water cannons on those remaining. Gallant had called for a pause to the controversial plans, which critics say would undermine the independence of the judiciary, arguing that they could threaten Israel's security. His removal and the subsequent protests prompted calls from prominent officials, including Israel's President Isaac Herzog and several members of Netanyahu's Likud party, to halt the reform process.
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