Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu sacks Defence Minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his defence minister Yoav Gallant.

The move comes 14 months into the Middle East war sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Mr Netanyahu said a “crisis of trust” had developed between him and Mr Gallant.

He said there had been too many “significant gaps” between them over the management of Israel’s wars.

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”

The two have regularly been at odds over the handling of the Gaza war.

A previous attempt to fire Mr Gallant in March last year led to widespread street protests against Mr Netanyahu.

Trust between the pair “broke down a long time ago,” Diaspora Digital Media gathered.

“To fire your defence minister at this moment will be seen as a reckless move by many and a lot of people will conclude that it has been done purely for Netanyahu’s own political survival.”

It comes amid a backdrop of arguments around the drafting of Haredi Jewish students into the IDF, with Mr Gallant being a proponent of drafting them into the military.

While Israel’s leadership initially presented a unified response to the Hamas attack in October last year, as the conflict dragged on and expanded to Lebanon key differences have emerged between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant.

Mr Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas in Gaza, while Mr Gallant has argued military force has created the necessary conditions for a deal that could bring home more hostages held by the militant group.

In a statement Mr Gallant, a former general, said: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life’s mission.”

Mr Netanyahu has appointed the foreign minister, Israel Katz, to succeed Mr Gallant as defence minister.

Gideon Saar will become the new foreign minister, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The last straw

The discord between Netanyahu and Gallant centres on their differing views regarding the escalating situation on the border with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Gallant advocates for diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, while Netanyahu favours a more aggressive military strategy.

Gallant had faced criticism from Netanyahu’s right-wing allies, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“For many months, I have been calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to fire Gallant, and the time has come to do so immediately,” said Ben-Gvir on social media. “A decision must be made in the north and Gallant is not the right man to lead it.”

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