“Benyamin Netanyahu fires Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on election day in the United States”, title ad The Jerusalem Post this Tuesday, November 5. The Israeli Prime Minister invoked “serious differences” about “of the management of the military campaign” carried out since October 7, 2023 in the Gaza Strip, then in Lebanon.
This is a shock measure, note The New York Times, towards a minister “seen more and more as an opponent internally”, “a more moderate voice within the government on security issues”. In particular on the question of the future authority in Gaza and on the talks for a ceasefire.
Yoav Gallant must be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, whose portfolio would be taken over by Gideon Sa'ar, who was already in government, specifies Ha'Aretz.
Reactions are very strong in the opposition.“At the end of March, thousands of people spontaneously demonstrated against Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Yoav Gallant, which the Prime Minister ended up reversing,” recalls the left-wing Israeli daily. A new call to demonstrate was launched this Tuesday, notably on X by a center-left personality, Yair Golan.
The far right delighted
Conversely, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “congratulate[é] the Prime Minister for his decision”, adding that with Yoav Gallant at Defense, “it is impossible to achieve complete victory.”
“This decision comes amid tension within Netanyahu's coalition over the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men. Yoav Gallant yesterday approved the enlistment of more than 7,000 Haredim in the Israeli armed forces,” signals The Times of Israel. This has been a long-standing point of friction and “Yoav Gallant opposed the approval of a law that would essentially preserve the exemption from military service for these ultra-Orthodox men – a text requested by the two ultra-Orthodox parties whose support is essential to Netanyahu's coalition.
“This announcement also comes as Americans are voting and America's attention is distracted,” adds the Israeli site.
