Netanyahו finally gets rid of Gallant as Defense Minister

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday evening.

Netanyahu explained that this is the result of a crisis of trust and significant differences between the two in the management of the war. "My highest commitment as Prime Minister of Israel is to maintain Israel's security and bring us to a complete victory," Netanyahu said in a statement after the dismissal announcement.

He added, "In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense. Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last few months this trust has cracked between me and the Minister of Defense."

"Significant gaps were discovered between myself and Gallant in the management of the campaign, and these gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government and the cabinet. I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider. They also came to the public's attention in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies took pleasure in this and derived a lot of benefit from it," he said.

Netanyahu stated that he is in favor of differences of opinion and debate, "But the crisis of trust that gradually opened up between myself and the Minister of Defense has become public, and this crisis does not allow for the proper continuation of the management of the campaign. I'm not the only one who says this, most of the members of the government and most of the members of the cabinet, almost all of them share this feeling that this cannot continue."

"In light of this," he said, "I decided today to end the term of office of the Minister of Defense. In his place, I have decided to appoint Minister Israel Katz. Israel Katz has already proven his abilities and his contribution to national security as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Minister of Finance, and as Minister of Intelligence for five years, and no less important than that, as a member of the political and security cabinet for many years."

He noted that he is inviting former Minister Gideon Sa'ar to join the government and assume the position of Foreign Minister from Minister Katz. "In addition, I spoke today with Minister Gideon Sa'ar and suggested that he join the coalition with his faction and fill the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. As a member of the government and cabinet for many years, Gideon Sa'ar brings with him extensive experience and expertise in the fields of policy and security, and he will be a significant reinforcement for our leadership team."

Gallant stated in response, “The security of the State of Israel always was, and will always remain my life’s mission."

The move was welcomed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said, "The prime minister did well to remove him from his position.” Ben-Gvir claimed that "it is not possible to achieve absolute victory" with Gallant as Defense Minister.

On the other hand, opposition figures condemned Gallant's firing, Democrats chairman Yair Golan called on the public to "take to the streets" in protest.

National Unity MK Orit Farkash Hacohen said, “A Defense Minister who announces conscription orders for thousands of Haredim is fired in the middle of a war on the eve of an [expected Iranian] attack for the sake of the evasion law.”