Bibi Sacking Gallant Leaves Defensive Void
Amid the war, Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Gallant, replacing him with loyalist Katz, sparking protests. Critics claim Netanyahu prioritizes politics over security, as Israel faces multi-front threats and unresolved hostage situations
By Keren Setton/ The Media Line
After months of sour relations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu shocked Israelis on Tuesday night by sacking Gallant from the critical post during a multi-front war that is nowhere near ending.
Gallant is expected to be replaced by Israel Katz, currently serving as Foreign Minister and considered a Netanyahu loyalist. Gideon Saar, a former rival of Netanyahu who rejoined the government in September, will replace Katz in the Foreign Ministry.
Protests erupted immediately, as thousands of Israelis took to the streets minutes after the announcement, demonstrating against Netanyahu.
The Israeli premier is believed to have contemplated the move for months now, likely waiting for a moment when attention was elsewhere.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defense minister,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released after Gallant was given written notice of his dismissal. “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 defense minister.”
“The relations have been bad for a very long time,” Eran Vigoda-Gadot, a professor of public administration at the University of Haifa, told The Media Line. “As a cynical politician, the timing Netanyahu chose was as the focus was on the elections in the US when he thought no one would notice.”
Throughout Israel’s war, for over a year already, Gallant was favored by the US administration led by President Joe Biden, seen as a moderate figure who was more open to hearing American input on the war effort and relaying US messages and interests to the Israeli war cabinet. The fact that US President Donald Trump will likely be the next American president will change the need for Gallant as a middle-man between Jerusalem and Washington.
“Gallant had very good relations with the US,” Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dr. Ephraim Lapid, a lecturer in the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University, a former IDF senior intelligence officer, and a senior research fellow at Europa Institute, told The Media Line. “Katz will likely be meaningless to the US, and Netanyahu will manage the relationship, which is critical to Israel both politically and militarily.”
This will not be a huge departure from the custom throughout Netanyahu’s tenure as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. He has consistently marginalized critical positions, such as the defense and foreign portfolios, often overshadowing the ministers.
This wasn’t the first time Netanyahu fired Gallant since the government was sworn in in late 2022. The pretense to the move in March of 2023 was a sharp difference of opinion regarding a contentious judicial reform initiated by the Israeli premier. Netanyahu then retracted due to massive public pushback, and Gallant has remained in his position until now. Tensions between the two have been consistent in the interim. Gallant was the first Netanyahu’s Likud party member to publicly break ranks and speak out against the planned judicial reforms and was considered contrarian to Netanyahu in the war cabinet, apparently presenting staunch opposition to certain decisions regarding the war effort.
Israel is currently facing three active war fronts, with others also threatening to boil over. With ground troops in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the Jewish state is also bracing itself for another direct attack from Iran as the two arch-enemies continue to escalate the confrontation between them.
The removal of Gallant, which will become official on Thursday evening, could have an impact on Israel’s war in Gaza and have a major influence on attempts to secure the release of 101 hostages being held there by the Hamas terrorist organization.
“Gallant was pushing for a hostage deal, while Netanyahu has an interest to elongate the war even at the price of their release,” said Lapid. “But for the military, which has already reached the end of its efforts in Gaza, the identity of the defense minister is not so critical. The decisions left to be made in Gaza are mainly political, and they all rest on Netanyahu’s lap.”
Netanyahu has called for increased military pressure on Gaza in order to push Hamas to agree to a hostage release deal. At the same time, Gallant adopted a different approach, saying the army had already created the conditions for a deal that would see a series of Israeli concessions that Netanyahu’s political base was reluctant to agree to.
Many of the protesters blocking major streets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other Israeli cities were hostage families who have accused Netanyahu of dragging his feet on a hostage deal in order to ensure his political survival. Netanyahu leads a far-right coalition whose members oppose any concessions to Palestinians and champion an even harder approach to Israel’s enemies.
“Gallant was the only sane person in the cabinet who was led by the national interest and not his own political interest,” said Vigoda-Gadot. “One doesn’t fire a defense minister in the midst of a war; disagreements can be ironed out, but in Netanyahu’s case, he is doing it just because he is putting his own political benefit ahead of the national interest, and this is a tragedy for Israel.”
The war with Hamas began after the terrorist group carried out a massive attack on southern Israel in October of last year. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, which stunned Israel, Netanyahu’s approval ratings plummeted as many saw him as responsible for the blunder that allowed Hamas to accumulate power for decades and use it against Israelis in a shocking manner. But as the war dragged on, with successes on several fronts, Netanyahu has recuperated in the polls.
Hours after being sacked, Gallant spoke to the nation and cited three main points of contention with Netanyahu—the urgent need for a hostage deal, the need to establish a national inquiry committee that would investigate events leading up to the war, and the need to end the controversial exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox men, an exemption that has become an increasingly thorny issue as the war lingers.
“This is the most central issue for our existence and our future, the security of the State of Israel and the people living in Israel,” an emotional Gallant said, adding that “moral darkness” was surrounding the people of Israel.
Katz, with very limited military experience, will likely introduce a law that will satisfy Netanyahu’s ultra-orthodox, or Haredi, political partners. Gallant, who favored a more aggressive approach to enlisting Haredi men who do not engage in vigorous religious studies, already issued thousands of conscription notices for them. The move led to threats by ultra-orthodox politicians to withdraw from the coalition, a move that would topple the Netanyahu government and lead to a new election.
But Katz’s meager military career is seen by critics of Netanyahu as a major impediment to Israel’s efforts to push back on its many enemies.
“Putting someone with no background and no knowledge of Israel’s defense and military echelon is extremely dangerous. Managing a war requires experience,” Vigoda-Gadot said. “His only advantage, in Netanyahu’s eyes, is quiet in the coalition.”
According to Vigoda-Gadot, the value of different opinions in a government is especially critical during a war.
“This is a cornerstone of democracy, but with Netanyahu – those who think differently are considered enemies,” he said.
“Netanyahu doesn’t value different opinions,” said Lapid. “With the lack of trust between Gallant and Netanyahu, it was clear he would want someone with the same opinion as him in the cabinet.”
As part of their rivalry, the two adversaries in the same government often briefed the media against the other, allegedly leaking confidential documents to journalists.
In a recent development, one of Netanyahu’s media advisers was arrested earlier this week. He is suspected of leaking documents meant to shed a positive light on Netanyahu as hostage deal negotiations faltered. Netanyahu and his allies denied the allegations, calling for a gag order to be lifted by the courts. Critics of Netanyahu said the damage to national security caused by the leaked documents was immense, pushing a hostage deal further away at the same time.
“This is a gross exaggeration,” said Lapid. “Sometimes there is value to exposing intelligence, and the impact of such leaks is not as influential as portrayed.”
According to Lapid, the Israeli military has exposed critical intelligence throughout the war, which has given it legitimacy to strike at targets such as hospitals and schools, which Hamas terrorists used for cover.
Opposition leaders said Gallant’s removal was a danger to Israel’s security, and coalition members were elated after months of criticism of what they saw as Gallant restricting Netanyahu in the war cabinet. Israel now faces a critical crossroads, one at which Netanyahu would have been the dominant decision-maker regardless of the identity of his defense minister.
Bibi Sacking Gallant Leaves Defensive Void
Amid the war, Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Gallant, replacing him with loyalist Katz, sparking protests. Critics claim Netanyahu prioritizes politics over security, as Israel faces multi-front threats and unresolved hostage situations
By Keren Setton/The Media Line
After months of sour relations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu shocked Israelis on Tuesday night by sacking Gallant from the critical post during a multi-front war that is nowhere near ending.
Gallant is expected to be replaced by Israel Katz, currently serving as Foreign Minister and considered a Netanyahu loyalist. Gideon Saar, a former rival of Netanyahu who rejoined the government in September, will replace Katz in the Foreign Ministry.
Protests erupted immediately, as thousands of Israelis took to the streets minutes after the announcement, demonstrating against Netanyahu.
The Israeli premier is believed to have contemplated the move for months now, likely waiting for a moment when attention was elsewhere.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defense minister,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released after Gallant was given written notice of his dismissal. “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 defense minister.”
“The relations have been bad for a very long time,” Eran Vigoda-Gadot, a professor of public administration at the University of Haifa, told The Media Line. “As a cynical politician, the timing Netanyahu chose was as the focus was on the elections in the US when he thought no one would notice.”
Throughout Israel’s war, for over a year already, Gallant was favored by the US administration led by President Joe Biden, seen as a moderate figure who was more open to hearing American input on the war effort and relaying US messages and interests to the Israeli war cabinet. The fact that US President Donald Trump will likely be the next American president will change the need for Gallant as a middle-man between Jerusalem and Washington.
“Gallant had very good relations with the US,” Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dr. Ephraim Lapid, a lecturer in the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University, a former IDF senior intelligence officer, and a senior research fellow at Europa Institute, told The Media Line. “Katz will likely be meaningless to the US, and Netanyahu will manage the relationship, which is critical to Israel both politically and militarily.”
This will not be a huge departure from the custom throughout Netanyahu’s tenure as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. He has consistently marginalized critical positions, such as the defense and foreign portfolios, often overshadowing the ministers.
This wasn’t the first time Netanyahu fired Gallant since the government was sworn in in late 2022. The pretense to the move in March of 2023 was a sharp difference of opinion regarding a contentious judicial reform initiated by the Israeli premier. Netanyahu then retracted due to massive public pushback, and Gallant has remained in his position until now. Tensions between the two have been consistent in the interim. Gallant was the first Netanyahu’s Likud party member to publicly break ranks and speak out against the planned judicial reforms and was considered contrarian to Netanyahu in the war cabinet, apparently presenting staunch opposition to certain decisions regarding the war effort.
Israel is currently facing three active war fronts, with others also threatening to boil over. With ground troops in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the Jewish state is also bracing itself for another direct attack from Iran as the two arch-enemies continue to escalate the confrontation between them.
The removal of Gallant, which will become official on Thursday evening, could have an impact on Israel’s war in Gaza and have a major influence on attempts to secure the release of 101 hostages being held there by the Hamas terrorist organization.
“Gallant was pushing for a hostage deal, while Netanyahu has an interest to elongate the war even at the price of their release,” said Lapid. “But for the military, which has already reached the end of its efforts in Gaza, the identity of the defense minister is not so critical. The decisions left to be made in Gaza are mainly political, and they all rest on Netanyahu’s lap.”
Netanyahu has called for increased military pressure on Gaza in order to push Hamas to agree to a hostage release deal. At the same time, Gallant adopted a different approach, saying the army had already created the conditions for a deal that would see a series of Israeli concessions that Netanyahu’s political base was reluctant to agree to.
Many of the protesters blocking major streets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other Israeli cities were hostage families who have accused Netanyahu of dragging his feet on a hostage deal in order to ensure his political survival. Netanyahu leads a far-right coalition whose members oppose any concessions to Palestinians and champion an even harder approach to Israel’s enemies.
“Gallant was the only sane person in the cabinet who was led by the national interest and not his own political interest,” said Vigoda-Gadot. “One doesn’t fire a defense minister in the midst of a war; disagreements can be ironed out, but in Netanyahu’s case, he is doing it just because he is putting his own political benefit ahead of the national interest, and this is a tragedy for Israel.”
The war with Hamas began after the terrorist group carried out a massive attack on southern Israel in October of last year. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, which stunned Israel, Netanyahu’s approval ratings plummeted as many saw him as responsible for the blunder that allowed Hamas to accumulate power for decades and use it against Israelis in a shocking manner. But as the war dragged on, with successes on several fronts, Netanyahu has recuperated in the polls.
Hours after being sacked, Gallant spoke to the nation and cited three main points of contention with Netanyahu—the urgent need for a hostage deal, the need to establish a national inquiry committee that would investigate events leading up to the war, and the need to end the controversial exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox men, an exemption that has become an increasingly thorny issue as the war lingers.
“This is the most central issue for our existence and our future, the security of the State of Israel and the people living in Israel,” an emotional Gallant said, adding that “moral darkness” was surrounding the people of Israel.
Katz, with very limited military experience, will likely introduce a law that will satisfy Netanyahu’s ultra-orthodox, or Haredi, political partners. Gallant, who favored a more aggressive approach to enlisting Haredi men who do not engage in vigorous religious studies, already issued thousands of conscription notices for them. The move led to threats by ultra-orthodox politicians to withdraw from the coalition, a move that would topple the Netanyahu government and lead to a new election.
But Katz’s meager military career is seen by critics of Netanyahu as a major impediment to Israel’s efforts to push back on its many enemies.
“Putting someone with no background and no knowledge of Israel’s defense and military echelon is extremely dangerous. Managing a war requires experience,” Vigoda-Gadot said. “His only advantage, in Netanyahu’s eyes, is quiet in the coalition.”
According to Vigoda-Gadot, the value of different opinions in a government is especially critical during a war.
“This is a cornerstone of democracy, but with Netanyahu – those who think differently are considered enemies,” he said.
“Netanyahu doesn’t value different opinions,” said Lapid. “With the lack of trust between Gallant and Netanyahu, it was clear he would want someone with the same opinion as him in the cabinet.”
As part of their rivalry, the two adversaries in the same government often briefed the media against the other, allegedly leaking confidential documents to journalists.
In a recent development, one of Netanyahu’s media advisers was arrested earlier this week. He is suspected of leaking documents meant to shed a positive light on Netanyahu as hostage deal negotiations faltered. Netanyahu and his allies denied the allegations, calling for a gag order to be lifted by the courts. Critics of Netanyahu said the damage to national security caused by the leaked documents was immense, pushing a hostage deal further away at the same time.
“This is a gross exaggeration,” said Lapid. “Sometimes there is value to exposing intelligence, and the impact of such leaks is not as influential as portrayed.”
According to Lapid, the Israeli military has exposed critical intelligence throughout the war, which has given it legitimacy to strike at targets such as hospitals and schools, which Hamas terrorists used for cover.
Opposition leaders said Gallant’s removal was a danger to Israel’s security, and coalition members were elated after months of criticism of what they saw as Gallant restricting Netanyahu in the war cabinet. Israel now faces a critical crossroads, one at which Netanyahu would have been the dominant decision-maker regardless of the identity of his defense minister.
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