The US presidency said yesterday on Sunday that it is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Israel, where the defense minister was fired for calling for a halt to the justice reform plan, again calling on the parties to seek a “compromise”.

“We are deeply concerned about the developments in Israel, which further underscore the urgent need for compromise,” said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, in the press release released by the US presidency.

“Democratic values ​​have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of US-Israel relations,” he continued.

“Democratic societies are made stronger by the separation of powers and mechanisms of control, and any fundamental change must have the widest possible popular support,” Ms Watson added, echoing wording used earlier this month after a briefing by US President Joe Biden with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible. We believe that this is the best path that can be followed for Israel and all its citizens”, added the spokeswoman.

Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed his government’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallad, who a day earlier called for a one-month suspension of the controversial process of reforming the judicial system that the coalition wants. The development immediately brought thousands of protesters to the streets of Tel Aviv.

The current Netanyahu government, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history, seeks with the reform it promotes to increase the power of the parliament over that of the judicial system. For critics of the reform, it threatens the democratic character of the state of Israel and could allow the potential conviction of Mr. Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, to be overturned.