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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday fired his popular Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts in the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly disagreed over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. The Prime Minister cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of confidence” between the men in his announcement on Tuesday evening.
“In the middle of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the defense minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although there was so much trust in the first months of the campaign and very fruitful work was done, in recent months this trust has broken between me and the Minister of Defense.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a united front as it responded to the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.
But as the war has dragged on and spread into Lebanon, important policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant has taken a more pragmatic approach, saying military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring hostages from the militant group home.
In a statement, Gallant said: “The security of the State of Israel has been and always will be my life's mission.”
Gallant, a former general, has gained public respect with his gruff, no-nonsense personality. Throughout the war, he has worn a simple black button-up shirt as a sign of grief over the October 7 attack, and has built a strong relationship with his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
An earlier attempt led to protests
Netanyahu's previous attempt to dismiss Gallant in March 2023 led to widespread street protests against the prime minister. He also flirted with the idea of firing Gallant this summer, but waited until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran minister who was a commissioned officer in the army. Gideon Saar, a former rival of Netanyahu who recently rejoined the government, will take up the foreign affairs post.
Israel has officially notified the UN that it is terminating the agreement that has governed its relations with the main UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, since 1967.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralizing his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the rift with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider,” he said. “
They also came to the attention of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse, they came to the knowledge of the enemy – our enemies enjoyed and benefited greatly from them.
