In a letter sent to the Israeli Prime Minister and the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, Yoav Gallant proposes new war objectives for Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and the West Bank.
Between Benyamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the rag has been burning for many months. And the relationship between the Israeli prime minister and his defense minister suffered a new hitch shortly before the Iranian missile attack on Israel on October 1. According to the Channel 13 news channel and the daily Haaretz Yoav Gallant sent a letter to the Israeli leader, as well as to the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, to the army chief of staff and to certain ministers. He sharply criticizes the conduct of the war waged in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Iran and the West Bank, by Benyamin Netanyahu.
The Minister of Defense particularly regrets that “the current situation, in which we operate without a valid compass and without updated war objectives, is detrimental to campaign management and cabinet decisions”. “Significant developments in the war, primarily the exchange of direct blows between Israel and Iran, increase the need for discussion and updating of war objectives with an overview of the different conflict terrains and connections between them..
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Deep disagreements
In his letter, Yoav Gallant offers a path for each of the areas in which Israel operates. In Gaza, the Minister of Defense wishes “establish a reality without military threat, prevent the strengthening of terrorist capabilities, ensure the return of all hostages and promote an alternative to the Hamas regime”. Yoav Gallant does not deviate from his line on this subject. Since January, he has been advocating for an end to the war in Gaza in its current form. The one who declared last September that “Hamas, as a military formation, no longer exists”campaigns to withdraw Israeli troops from Palestinian territory, with the possibility of intervening there if necessary. He also wants the presence of a multinational force and a Palestinian civil administration.
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Concerning other zones, the Minister of Defense wants to create in Lebanon “a security situation that allows residents of the north (of Israel) to return home as soon as possible”. He also argues for “deter and keep Iran out of war” and for “prevent outbreaks of violence by countering terrorism” in the West Bank. In response, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described this letter as “confusing” and estimated that the “objectives are constantly re-evaluated and have recently been expanded”.
The disagreements between the Prime Minister and his Minister of Defense do not date from October 7. In March 2023, Yoav Gallant was dismissed from office because he called for the suspension of the controversial judicial reform wanted by the government. Benyamin Netanyahu finally backed down. Since the Hamas terrorist attacks, if Yoav Gallant has led the war in Gaza with an iron fist, he represents a more pragmatic part of the cabinet, looking towards the future. In this he opposes other supremacist ministers like Bezalel Smotrich or Itamar Ben Gvir, who are campaigning to increasingly tighten the war and install colonies in Gaza.
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