Israel’s Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister, Citing ‘Gaps’ in Approach to War
The minister, Yoav Gallant, differed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the conduct of the war in Gaza and domestic political issues.
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Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a news conference on Tuesday.Credit...Nir Elias/Reuters
By Adam Rasgon
Adam Rasgon reported from Jerusalem
Nov. 5, 2024Updated 6:22 p.m. ET
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, on Tuesday over differences on the prosecution of the war in Gaza — a risky step at a moment when Israel is fighting on two fronts. The move sparked protests across the country, including a large gathering near the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem.
Mr. Gallant was pushing for a cease-fire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages held there, and his dismissal removes the main proponent in the Israeli government for such an agreement. Mr. Gallant and Mr. Netanyahu also clashed over domestic political issues, particularly the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Israelis.
Large crowds opposed to Mr. Gallant’s dismissal, blocked traffic and lit bonfires on a major highway in Tel Aviv.
Mr. Gallant, 65, had increasingly been viewed as an internal opponent to the prime minister, and he has been a more moderate voice within the government on security issues. Mr. Netanyahu, who announced the decision in a video statement, said “significant gaps on handling the war” emerged between him and Mr. Gallant.
Mr. Gallant said Mr. Netanyahu fired him over three main disagreements: the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews, a deal to release hostages and his call for a state commission of inquiry into the security failures surrounding the attack Hamas led on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“My firm stance is that every military-age person must be enlisted,” Mr. Gallant said in a statement carried live on television. “They must serve in the Israel Defense Forces and defend the State of Israel. This is no longer just a social issue. It is a paramount issue for our security and existence.”
Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers who provide critical support in Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition have opposed sweeping measures to draft their constituents, even as Israeli casualties in Gaza and Lebanon mount. Had Mr. Gallant succeeded in advancing his position, it could have put Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition at risk.
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Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in front military recruitment office during a protest against ending exemption from military service, in Jerusalem last week.Credit...Ohad Zwigenberg/Associated Press
At the conclusion of his remarks, Mr. Gallant saluted Israeli forces, fallen soldiers, the hostages and their families.
The prime minister’s decision comes at an extraordinary moment for Israel. Its military is fighting against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, two groups backed by Iran, and bracing for a possible Iranian attack in a cycle of retaliatory strikes. It is also conducting raids to try to root out Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israel’s closest ally, the United States, is voting in a presidential election that could have major implications for the American approach to the war in the Middle East. Mr. Gallant maintained close contact with senior U.S. officials, who often chose to communicate with him instead of Mr. Netanyahu, a dynamic that frustrated the Israeli prime minister. On Monday, Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state, called Mr. Gallant to discuss the situation in Gaza and Lebanon.
The White House’s National Security Council avoided directly criticizing Mr. Netanyahu for the firing. It said that Mr. Gallant “has been an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel” and pledged to “work collaboratively” with the next Israeli defense minister.
Mr. Netanyahu named Israel Katz, the foreign minister with scant security experience, as the new defense minister. Mr. Katz, an ally of the prime minister, is unlikely to stand in the way of Mr. Netanyahu’s approach to cease-fire talks, which critics say have undermined the possibility of a deal. He is also expected to align with the prime minister when it comes to deciding how long to fight in Lebanon and how to respond to threats from Iran.
Displaced Palestinians making their way after fleeing the northern part of Gaza amid an Israeli military operation in Gaza City on Tuesday.Credit...Mahmoud Issa/Reuters
Mr. Netanyahu said he offered Gideon Saar, a hard-liner, as a replacement for Mr. Katz as foreign minister and to formally bring his small, right-wing party into the coalition. Mr. Saar, a hard-liner and once a virulent critic of Mr. Netanyahu, joined his government in September from the opposition, but his faction didn’t sign a coalition agreement. If Mr. Saar’s party formally joins the coalition, it would give Mr. Netanyahu an extra degree of political stability.
The decision also came as a new national security scandal was unfolding in Israel. The Israeli authorities are investigating a spokesman who has been working over the past year in Mr. Netanyahu’s office and is suspected of illegally obtaining and leaking classified documents to the news media.
Mr. Netanyahu informed Mr. Gallant in a letter dated Nov. 5 that he would end his term as defense minister within 48 hours of receiving the notice.
“More than ever, at the height of a war, complete trust is needed between the prime minister and the defense minister,” Mr. Netanyahu said in the video statement on Tuesday. “In recent months, that trust between the defense minister and I was damaged.”
Mr. Gallant, a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party and the defense minister since 2022, also clashed with the prime minister over legislation seeking the overhaul of the Israeli judiciary and proposals for the future administration of Gaza.
In May, Mr. Gallant warned that the lack of a postwar plan for governing Gaza could force Israel into a permanent military occupation, costing it “in blood and many victims, for no purpose.” His remarks were widely understood as an implicit criticism of Mr. Netanyahu.
In August, Mr. Gallant disparaged Mr. Netanyahu’s declared goal of “total victory” over Hamas in Gaza as “nonsense.”
After more centrist politicians left Mr. Netanyahu’s government in June, Mr. Gallant, who was a senior general in the military, was seen as the main voice of moderation within the government’s decision-making circles.
In June, when relations between Mr. Netanyahu and President Biden appeared to fray after the Israeli prime minister accused the United States of withholding weapons, it was Mr. Gallant who visited Washington to meet with Biden administration officials, affirming his commitment to a cease-fire deal and emphasizing Israel’s appreciation of American support.
Mr. Gallant and Mr. Netanyahu in October.Credit...Amir Cohen/Reuters
Natan Sachs, an expert on Israeli affairs at the Brookings Institution, said the Biden administration had grown to see Mr. Gallant as a critical interlocutor — despite the defense minister’s own hawkish views — as Mr. Netanyahu appeared to fall increasingly under the sway of his hard-line coalition allies.
Mr. Gallant often reflected Israel’s more pragmatic security establishment.
“He was a known quantity, a responsible person and someone who was basically trusted,” said Mr. Sachs. “It’s a loss for the relationship in the short term,” he added.
Israeli critics of Mr. Netanyahu, including many families of hostages captured on the day of the Hamas attack, have argued that the prime minister has prioritized the destruction of Hamas and the killing of its leaders, and even his own political career, over the signing a truce that would allow the captives to be returned.
“I want to say that I did something when the country was falling apart,” said Michal Eshel, 38, one of those demonstrating close to the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday night. “Those who are supposed to protect us are protecting their seat and their government.”
Addressing Israeli military officers in July, Mr. Gallant called for an investigation into the vulnerabilities and failures in government, military and security circles that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to happen. He acknowledged the inquiry must investigate himself as well as the prime minister. For his part, Mr. Netanyahu has resisted all efforts to form a state commission of inquiry, saying the investigation must wait until after the war.
Even before the war, Mr. Gallant made his disagreements with the prime minister known. He played a pivotal role in long-running protest, social division and disquiet in the military in 2023 over a plan proposed by Mr. Netanyahu to overhaul the Israeli judiciary.
The prime minister nominally fired him for having criticized the pace of the government’s judicial overhaul plan, but reversed his decision shortly after that.
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Israelis demonstrating after Mr. Netanyahu fired Mr. Gallant, citing lack of trust, in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.Credit...Ammar Awad/Reuters
Aaron Boxerman, Natan Odenheimer, Johnatan Reiss and Matthew Mpoke Bigg contributed reporting.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs. More about Adam Rasgon
