Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant attend vote on the state budget at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
In a shocking move, probably well-timed to coincide with the U.S. elections that were sure to grab most of the news coverage, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant – again .
But this time, it looks like the dismissal will stick, as Netanyahu already announced a cabinet reshuffle that includes Gideon Sa’ar taking over the post of Israel Katz as Foreign Minister, while Katz, who has no relevant security background, will replace Gallant.
In his announcement, Netanyahu explained that the main reason for his controversial decision, which has been heavily criticized as politically motivated by the opposition, was the lack of personal trust.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust between the prime minister and the defense minister is required,” Netanyahu argued, explaining that initial trust between him and Gallant “cracked” as the war dragged on.
“Significant gaps emerged regarding the management of the campaign,” Netanyahu said, adding that Gallant’s statements and actions openly contradicted decisions made by the government and the cabinet, and hinting at accusations that he leaked differences of opinion to the press, benefiting Israel’s enemies.
In his statement, the prime minister barely hinted at the widespread accusations that his motivation for firing Gallant, similar to the first time, when the defense minister opposed the government’s judicial reform plans, was motivated by a desire to pursue his political goals without internal obstructions.
However, according to a briefing from a source close to the prime minister to several Israeli outlets, there were several more reasons for Gallant’s dismissal.
Netanyahu, the source said, felt Gallant failed to challenge the IDF and only served to represent the security establishment’s opinions, which often contradicted the prime minister’s position.
For example, Gallant was said to have pushed for a diplomatic agreement with Hezbollah starting long before its capabilities had been degraded; opposed Netanyahu’s demand to assassinate Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, until the IDF relented; joined the Biden administration in opposing the Rafah operation and Netanyahu’s position on the Philadelphi Corridor; and opposed plans to give the IDF control of distributing humanitarian aid to prevent it from falling into the hands of Hamas.
In his own statement on Tuesday, Gallant took credit for the IDF and the security system’s achievements in the war, many of which the Netanyahu-affiliated source claimed he initially opposed.
He then explained that in his view, the reason for his dismissal was his disagreement with Netanyahu on three main issues.
“The first is my firm stance that every one of conscription age must serve in the IDF and defend the State of Israel… In this campaign, we have lost hundreds of soldiers, we have suffered thousands of wounded and disabled, and the war is still continuing,” Gallant said.
“We must not allow a discriminatory and corrupt law to pass in the Knesset that would exempt tens of thousands of citizens from bearing this burden.”
This opinion has broad public support, even within the Likud Party, and has recently been the main bone of contention between Gallant and Netanyahu.
This is widely seen as the most immediate reason for the dismissal, although Netanyahu’s intentions to fire Gallant had been well known since even before the war.
Gallant’s announcement that he would only endorse a new IDF draft law that would garner a broad majority, including support from the opposition, was one of the main obstacles to the coalition passing such a law.
In addition, Gallant had recently signaled that he would join several other coalition lawmakers in opposing the so-called Daycare Law , which aims to grant ultra-orthodox families subsidies even if the father is dodging the IDF draft.
The second issue, said Gallant, is his difference of opinion regarding a hostage deal with Hamas. Media reports suggested that Gallant consistently supported hostage deal proposals that were seen as too risky by Netanyahu.
Gallant argued that returning the hostages “is achievable but involves painful compromises that Israel can bear, and the IDF can deal with.”
“We cannot bring back those hostages who have died. There is and will not be any atonement for abandoning the captives. It will be a mark of Cain on the forehead of Israeli society and those leading this mistaken path,” he intoned.
Finally, the third issue is the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, which Netanyahu said he wants only after the war has ended.
Another important issue that went unmentioned is the close – in the eyes of Netanyahu maybe too close – relationship between Gallant and the Biden administration, which according to an unnamed official was “very surprised” and has “real questions about the reasons” for the decision, as Axios reported.
While internal Israeli politics surrounding the IDF draft law are the immediate cause for the dismissal, Netanyahu and Gallant haven’t seen eye to eye for a long time.
It remains to be seen whether the prime minister can now rustle up enough votes in the coalition to push through a new IDF draft law that is acceptable to the large part of society groaning under months of reserve duty while simultaneously mollifying the Haredi parties which are threatening to tear apart the government if a new law forces them to enlist.
