Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprisingly dismissed on Tuesday his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and appointed Israel Katz to succeed him on the grounds that he had lost confidence in Gallant over his handling of Israel’s ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Israel Katz, currently foreign minister, will become new defence minister and Gideon Sa’ar – a liberal politician who favours a partial re-occupation of Gaza – will replace Katz as foreign minister, the prime minister’s office said on Tuesday. ‘In recent months confidence has eroded. In view of this, I have decided today to end the defence minister’s tenure,’ Netanyahu said in a recorded statement on Tuesday night, issued by his office and echoed by several media outlets. Shortly afterwards, Gallant responded to the decision by posting on X that ‘Israel’s security has been and always will be my lifelong mission’.
There has long been speculation that Netanyahu could fire Gallant and replace him with a political ally to shore up his internal power. The fact is that Netanyahu and Gallant have often disagreed over the Gaza war. Last August, Gallant told a closed-door committee of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) that Netanyahu’s goal of ‘absolute victory’ in Gaza was ‘nonsense’; Netanyahu responded by accusing Gallant of adopting an ‘anti-Israel narrative’ and reiterating the idea of total victory over Hamas and its allies.
Yoav Gallant was also highly critical of Netanyahu for his emphasis on Israeli control of a strip of territory along the Gaza-Egypt border known as the Philadelphi Corridor. He voted against the continuation of military occupation in the region, saying that it was an obstacle to a ceasefire and a hostage deal. ‘If we want the hostages alive, we don’t have time,’ the minister said at the time.
Israeli far-right growing pressure against Netanyahu
But Netanyahu’s relationship with Gallant deteriorated long ago: the Israeli prime minister already threatened to fire him in March 2023 after he criticised the government’s controversial judicial reform aimed at securing Netanyahu’s control over the judiciary, which triggered widespread popular protests in Israel. Gallant was the first member of Netanyahu’s cabinet to oppose it, saying the reform was ‘a real danger to Israel’s security’. Netanyahu then said he would get rid of the defence minister, but backtracked after mass protests against the decision.
However, tension between Netanyahu and Gallant has persisted and grown since the Hamas attack in October 2023. That tension reportedly flared after the defence minister – a popular military veteran – supported the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the Israel Defence Forces, while far-right members of the cabinet – on whom Netanyahu depends for the survival of his government – strongly opposed the move, increasing pressure on Netanyahu to dismiss him; among those calling for Gallant’s head was National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who last September said that he had been demanding Gallant’s dismissal for months ‘and the time has come to do it immediately.’
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
