Netanyahu fires Israeli Defense Minister after months of clashes over war and politics

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after months of clashes over domestic politics and Israel’s war efforts.

In a recorded statement Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said that “trust between me and the minister of defense has cracked.”

Israel Katz, currently the foreign minister, will become the defense minister. Gideon Sa’ar will replace Katz as foreign minister, the prime minister’s office said Tuesday. Neither has extensive military experience, though Katz has served in the cabinet throughout the war.

The move came as voters in the United States, Israel’s most important ally, voted for their next president. Gallant is a close interlocutor for the US administration, and has been said to have daily conversations with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The reshuffle happened at a crucial moment for Israel, which is fighting bloody wars in Gaza and Lebanon while awaiting a potential retaliatory attack from Iran.

Gallant responded to the decision shortly after it was made public, posting on X that the “security of Israel has been and will always be my lifelong mission.” In a televised statement, he said his dismissal was the result of a dispute over three things: the issue of ultra-Orthodox military service, the abandonment of hostages in Gaza, and the need for an official inquiry into Hamas’ October 7 attack.

“There isn’t and won’t be forgiveness for abandoning the hostages,” he said. “This will be a ‘mark of Cain’ that the Israeli society bears, as well as those leading through this wrong path.”

Netanyahu said Tuesday he had “made many attempts” to bridge differences with Gallant, but that they “kept widening” and “came to the public’s knowledge in an unacceptable manner.” He continued: “Worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and greatly benefited from it.”

Israel’s political class has long speculated that Netanyahu would fire Gallant and replace him with a political ally to shore up his domestic power. Netanyahu has struggled to maintain a hold over his fragile, right-wing governing coalition and its muddle of competing interests, whose collapse could spell the end of his leadership.

When Netanyahu first sought to fire Gallant last year, over his opposition to proposed judicial reforms, it led to mass nationwide demonstrations. Minutes after Netanyahu made the announcement, opposition leaders called for Israelis to take to the streets in protest.

Demonstrations erupted in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Protestors outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem shouted “shame!” In Tel Aviv, protesters blocked a main highway while families of hostages held in Gaza chanted “Bibi is a traitor,” using the prime minister’s nickname.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is still in Gaza, said in a statement that firing Gallant “during a war and appointing a yes-man, who lacks security related experience, in his place, is sending a clear message – no one will stand up to Netanyahu and prevent him from torpedoing deals and prolonging the war.”

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called it an “act of madness.”

“Netanyahu is selling out Israel’s security and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers for his despicable political survival,” Lapid posted on X Tuesday.

The relationship between both men was rarely cordial and often caustic. There was little love lost between them – over the state of negotiations with Hamas, Israel’s military strategy and Netanyahu’s bid to bring in a sweeping overhaul of the judiciary in 2023.

Netanyahu and Gallant have often disagreed over the war in Gaza. In August, Gallant told a closed-door Knesset committee that Netanyahu’s goal of “absolute victory” in Gaza was “nonsense,” according to Israeli media. Netanyahu then took the extraordinary step of releasing a press statement accusing Gallant of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative.”

Gallant was also highly critical of Netanyahu’s emphasis on controlling the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. He said that prioritizing its control over a ceasefire and hostage deal was a “moral disgrace.” In the cabinet, he voted against continued occupation there. “If we want the hostages alive, we don’t have time,” he said.

But it may be domestic politics that ultimately played the biggest role.

Netanyahu on Tuesday was forced to withdraw draft legislation that would have allowed ultra-Orthodox Israelis to get government subsidies for daycare even if the father of the children does not serve in the IDF, as all other Jewish Israelis must do. Netanyahu relies on ultra-Orthodox parties to govern, and they have threatened to upend his coalition if they are forced to serve in the military en masse.

Gallant had been outspoken against the idea that ultra-Orthodox Israelis be exempt from service, saying that “the security system under my leadership will not submit it to legislation.”

Sa’ar, whom Netanyahu has tapped for foreign minister, is thought to be an influential interlocutor to the ultra-Orthodox parties. Netanyahu, in his statement, said that Sa’ar’s appointment “will enhance the stability of the coalition and the stability of the government, and these are very important at any time, but especially at wartime.”

Also on Tuesday, Israeli police announced that a criminal investigation had been opened “concerning events at the outset of the war,” without offering further details. Israeli media reported the investigation is related to suspicions that records of sensitive cabinet and security meetings were allegedly changed.

Gallant has repeatedly called for an official inquiry into the October 7 attack. It is the second investigation this week that threatens to ensnare Netanyahu. On Sunday, a court revealed that police had arrested a top Netanyahu aide for allegedly leaking classified and faked intelligence to foreign media.

Netanyahu had faced pressure from far-right members of his cabinet to dismiss him. On Tuesday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir congratulated Netanyahu, accusing Gallant of being an impediment to “complete victory.”

Netanyahu’s relationship with Gallant deteriorated when the prime minister threatened to fire him in March 2023, after he criticized the government’s judicial overhaul legislation. The bill, which provoked widespread popular protests in Israel, would have granted the ruling coalition more sway in selecting judges.

Gallant was the first minister to oppose it, saying: “The deepening split is seeping into the military and security agencies - this is a clear, immediate and real danger to Israel’s security. I will not facilitate this.”

Netanyahu said he would fire the defense minister, but reversed his position following pressure. The rancor between the two men has persisted and grown since the Hamas attack last October.

Following news of the firing, US officials reiterated their partnership with Israel. “Minister Gallant has been a trusted partner as Israel’s Minister of Defense,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

“America’s commitment to Israel’s security remains ironclad and the US Department of Defense will continue to work closely with Israel’s next Minister of Defense.” — CNN