'Tel Aviv' fires consul general in New York for judicial reform stance
4 Min Read
The Israeli occupation is escalating further against its own diplomats, firing its consul in New York after the envoy quit a day earlier.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attends a news conference after a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the foreign ministry in Berlin, Germany, February 28, 2023 (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Thursday he sacked Consul General in New York Asaf Zamir, days after the envoy said he was resigning over worries about the extremist government's judicial reform plans.
Zamir resigned Sunday in an online statement, saying he could no longer support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, as it pushed ahead with a contentious judicial overhaul that attempts to limit the Supreme Court's authority.
"Asaf Zamir announced his resignation… but wanted to continue in the position for an unspecified period of time. I decided to fire him immediately. A diplomat who takes a political side cannot represent the State of Israel for even one day," Cohen said on social media.
"I've been in Israel since yesterday," Zamir replied almost immediately, attaching a picture of himself in what Israeli media said was "Israel", i.e., occupied Palestine.
Zamir is the latest Israeli diplomat to quit his post in light of the new government's reforms after the occupation's ambassadors to France and Canada handed in their resignations throughout the winter. All three envoys were appointed by the previous Israeli government, which was led by a coalition formed by Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid.
The resignation comes in light of US pressures on Netanyahu, as it was revealed Wednesday that US President Joe Biden sent a personal and confidential message to the Israeli premier asking him to put an end to the judicial reform plans and try to find a middle ground.
The Israeli Walla! news site, citing two informed sources, said the letter came in the wake of the dismissal of Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu's decision to postpone the controversial bill that brought the Israeli occupation to a grinding halt.
The message that Biden conveyed to Netanyahu shows that the US President directly interfered in the pressure campaign that the White House ran on the issue in public and private in order to persuade the premier to stop the legislation dead in its tracks.
Walla! said Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Gallant on Sunday shocked the White House, triggering a series of urgent consultations among President Biden's advisors regarding a possible response from Washington, a senior Biden administration official said.
Netanyahu's office announced in a brief statement that the Prime Minister has decided to sack Gallant. However, the Times of Israel noted that "it is unclear what new position he will be given, if any." As per Maariv, Netanyahu now had 48 hours to appoint a new security minister.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu told Gallant that he lost his trust in him after he "went behind the government's back" on Saturday while the occupation Prime Minister was visiting London.
Amid mass protests against his government's plans, Netanyahu on Wednesday responded to Biden by claiming that "Israel" does not take decisions "based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends."
In a letter addressed to the US Congress, Likud MK Dan Illouz said, "I feel that the statement given yesterday crossed a red line in the relationship" between "Israel" and the United States.
"Friends do not act like this towards each other," Illouz told Congress members, adding, "Please use all the tools at your disposal to make sure these types of problematic statements do not happen again."
