Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defense Minister, was fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday November 5, 2024. Reasons, reactions, replacement… Here is what we know this Wednesday morning.
What happened?
The news was announced in a letter yesterday. “In the midst of war, trust is more than ever required between the Prime Minister and his Minister of Defense” more “in recent months, this confidence has eroded”wrote the Israeli Prime Minister in his missive addressed to Yoav Gallant. “In recent months, this confidence has eroded”Benyamin Netanyahu justified himself. “Significant differences emerged […] in the conduct of the (military) campaign, accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government and cabinet”he added.
This surprise announcement came while awaiting the result of the presidential election in the United States, the main ally of Israel, a country which is fighting on two fronts, against Palestinian Hamas in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to political analyst Aviv Bushinsky, former chief of staff of Benjamin Netanyahu interviewed byAFPthe dismissal of Yoav Gallant was just one “question of time”. “Maybe Netanyahu fears a Democratic victory” in the United States, which would have made “more complicated” such a dismissal.
Benjamin Netanyahu feels “reinforced by the improvement in his rating in the polls”et “also takes advantage of the fact that the world’s attention is elsewhere” with the American election, judge Jonathan Rynhold, director of the department of political studies at Bar Ilan University.
What were the reactions?
Spontaneous demonstrations took place across the country, including in Jerusalem, where the Prime Minister's residence is located. Three people were arrested. In Tel Aviv, citizens chanted slogans against Benjamin Netanyahu. L'AFP reports that some also blocked traffic and lit lights on the Ayalon Highway, the main route through the coastal metropolis, with some wearing t-shirts “take them home now” in reference to the 97 Israeli hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, 34 of whom are considered dead by the Israeli army.
“We expect new Defense Minister Israel Katz to prioritize a hostage deal […] in order to guarantee the immediate release of all the hostages”declared the Families Forum, the main association of relatives of hostages and the missing whose logo was displayed by certain demonstrators.
Yoav Gallant, for his part, called on the government to bring the hostages home, declaring during an intervention on television: “We have to do this quickly, while they are still alive”and this “even at the cost of painful compromises”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has warned of a “upheaval” in the country at war for more than a year and called for ” responsibility “. “The last thing the State of Israel needs right now is upheaval and rupture in the middle of war”he said on X.
“Minister Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with the next Israeli Defense Minister”a State Department spokesperson said yesterday.
Yoav Gallant has been the main interlocutor of the United States during the 13 months of war in the Gaza Strip and now in Lebanon. American officials consider him a professional, less ideological than certain other members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
Who replaces him?
The man who takes over this highly strategic position is Gideon Saar, nicknamed « le bulldozer »a former rival of Benjamin Netanyahu within the Likud, whose door he slammed in 2020, recalls theAFP. Propelled into politics by Benjamin Netanyahu twenty-five years ago, he tried unsuccessfully to take his position as leader of the Likud from him, before leaving the large right-wing formation to found his own party, Tikva, in 2020. Hadasha (New Hope).
Former journalist and lawyer, Gideon Saar, 57, is more on the right than the Prime Minister. He notably advocated an annexation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
The two men formalized their reconciliation with the return in September of Gideon Saar to the government in a position of minister without portfolio. A rapprochement which allowed Netanyahu to expand his majority in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
“Gideon Saar brings substantial experience and sound judgment in security and policy matters, making him a valuable addition to our leadership team”commented the Prime Minister after the formalization of his appointment.
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