The leader of the Israeli opposition party, Benny Gantz, called on Sunday for citizens to take to the streets in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul, The Middle East Monitor reported.

Gantz, Israel’s former Defence Minister, argued that the majority of Israelis oppose what he described as Netanyahu’s “coup d’etat”.

Speaking at a party meeting in parliament, Gantz said that Netanyahu’s judicial reform plan will lead to “civil war” and stressed that, “It’s time to go out en masse and demonstrate; it’s time to make the country tremble.”

However, Netanyahu told his party that he is trying to “return Israel to the correct balance” between political and judicial authorities, similar to that in the US and EU countries.

Gantz warned Netanyahu that if he continues on this path, he will be responsible for a “civil war” in Israel.

In response, Netanyahu accused Gantz of “planting the seeds of disaster” by calling the public out to the streets, adding that he was “shocked” as he saw Gantz calling for “sedition from within the Knesset.”

(MEMO, PC, SOCIAL)