Netanyahu fires Defense Minister Gallant, replaces him with Foreign Minister Katz

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, November 5, dismissed his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.

Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defense minister,” Netanyahu said. “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.”

In a late-night news conference broadcast on national TV, Gallant said that he had disagreed with Netanyahu over three main issues: the need to end controversial exemptions from the military draft for ultra-Orthodox men, the urgent need for a hostage deal and the need to establish an official commission of inquiry into the political and security failures of October 7, when Hamas militants stormed into Israel and killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel estimates that about 100 hostages remain in captivity, only about 65 of them still alive.

‘No forgiveness’ for neglecting hostages

With military service compulsory for most Jews, Gallant said that drafting the ultra-Orthodox was both an issue of fairness and security at a time when Israel faces so many challenges.

He said a hostage deal was needed “as quickly as possible, when they are still alive” and said there will be “no forgiveness” for neglecting them. And he said a full investigation into the events of Oct. 7 was the only way to ensure the government would learn the proper lessons. Netanyahu has rejected calls for an inquiry, saying it should only take place when the war is over.

Gallant ended his statement by honoring the soldiers serving in the army and those who have died in the wars. He held up his hand and saluted as he walked away from the podium.

In the early days of the war, Israel’s leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the militant group.

Gruff, no-nonsense personality

Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life’s mission.”

Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday’s announcement.

Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post. Katz currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister.

Katz, 69, was a junior officer in the military decades ago and has little military experience, though he has been a key member of Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet over the years. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who rejoined the government in September, will take the foreign affairs post.

Netanyahu has a long history of neutralizing his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.

“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy – our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.

‘An act of madness’

Many of the families of the hostages, along with tens of thousands of people who have joined anti-government protests, accuse Netanyahu of scuttling a deal in order to maintain his hold on power. Netanyahu’s hard-line partners have threatened to bring down the government if he makes concessions to Hamas, raising the risk of early elections at a time when the prime minister’s popularity is low.

“Firing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X. “Netanyahu is selling Israel’s security and the Israeli army soldiers for a disgraceful political survival.”

The grassroots forum representing hostage families said Gallant’s dismissal is “a direct continuation of the ‘efforts’ to torpedo the abductee deal.” It called on the new defense minister, Israel Katz, to make an “explicit commitment” to end the war and reach a deal to bring home their loved ones.

Within hours, thousands of protesters gathered in central Tel Aviv, blocking the city’s main highway. The crowd, many holding blue and white Israeli flags and others blowing whistles and pounding drums, gathered around a small bonfire in the middle of the road. About 1,000 other demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem. Protesters gathered and blocked roads in several other spots across the country.

The dismissal comes at a delicate time. Israeli troops remain bogged down in Gaza over a year after invading the territory, while Israeli ground troops are pressing ahead with a month-old ground invasion against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Israel also has clashed with Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and is facing the possibility of another strike by Iran. Iran has vowed to avenge an Israeli strike that came in response to an October 1 Iranian missile attack, itself a reprisal for earlier Israeli attacks on Iranian-linked targets.

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his defense minister, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog warned Tuesday against any political upheaval when the country is fighting wars on multiple fronts.

“The last thing the State of Israel needs right now is an upheaval and a rupture in the middle of the war. The security of the State of Israel must be above all considerations,” Herzog said in a statement, adding that the “role of leadership is to act with great responsibility at this time.”