Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday 5 November, after differences over the conduct of the war in Gaza. This surprise announcement comes while awaiting the result of the presidential election in the United States, Israel's main ally.
“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”affirmed the head of government in a letter addressed to Yoav Gallant, while Israel is fighting on two fronts, against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Prime Minister added that he “chose to appoint Minister Israel Katz” to replace Yoav Gallant, while Gideon Saar is named Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Yoav Gallant, a retired general, had become one of the main figures in the government. He had established himself in Israel as a leading figure in the war that Israel has been waging since September against Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. But he also pleaded for a truce with Hamas in Gaza with a view to obtaining the release of the hostages kidnapped during the October 7 attack, while the objective hammered out by Benyamin Netanyahu is the annihilation of Hamas. Since a single truce in November 2023, all diplomatic efforts towards a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory of Gaza have proven unsuccessful.
“The security of Israel has been and will remain my life’s mission”replied Yoav Gallant on X. He then spoke in the evening and considered that Israel must ensure the return of the hostages “as long as they are alive”. The departing minister also affirmed that “everyone” had to “serve in the army”while a controversy pitted him against Benjamin Netanyahu over the conscription of haredim, ultra-orthodox Jews.
The announcement of his departure provoked demonstrations in several cities in Israel on Tuesday evening, such as in Beersheba, in the south of the country. The largest spontaneous mobilizations took place in Tel Aviv, where several thousand people protested against Benjamin Netanyahu's decision. Demonstrators, armed with Israeli flags and drums, blocked Tel Aviv's main avenue and lit fires on the tracks when Yoav Gallant's dismissal was announced.
One of the opposition leaders, Yaïr Lapid, declared on X that this choice was a “foil papers” in the middle of the war in the Middle East. A leader of the Israeli left, Yair Golan, called for a general strike on the same social network. On the other hand, Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of the Interior and member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, estimated that Benjamin Netanyahu had “well done” to separate from Yoav Gallant.
