Netanyahu fires his defense minister; demonstrations in Tel Aviv | Conflict in the Middle East

After the announcement by the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, of the dismissal of the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest against this dismissal and demand an agreement on the hostages.

Benyamin Netanyahu chose the day of the American presidential election to announce the dismissal of his Minister of Defense, while the Israeli army has been in the middle of war in the Gaza Strip for a year and in Lebanon since September.

In a short televised statement, Mr. Netanyahu explained that differences over the conduct of the war prompted him to part ways with Mr. Gallant.

In the midst of war, trust is required more than ever between the Prime Minister and his Minister of Defense, but in recent months, this trust has eroded said Mr. Netanyahu in a letter addressed to Mr. Gallant.

Significant differences emerged […] in running the campaign [militaire]accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government and cabinethe added. According to Yediot Aharonot, Mr. Netanyahu announced the dismissal of Mr. Gallant during a meeting which lasted three minutes.

The now ex-Defense Minister was replaced by Israel Katz, who until now held the Foreign Affairs portfolio.

Qualified as bulldozer by his country’s media because of his direct and sometimes abrasive style, Mr. Katz, 69, is a loyal follower of Benjamin Netanyahu.

We will work together to lead the Department of Defense to victory against the enemy and achieve the goals of the war: the return of the hostages […]the destruction of Hamas, the defeat of Hezbollah, the containment of Iranian aggression and the safe return of the inhabitants of the north and south [d’Israël] in their homesMr. Katz said after his appointment.

Protests in Tel Aviv

Chanting slogans against the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thousands of demonstrators gathered shortly after the announcement of Mr. Gallant’s dismissal.

Israeli police said they deployed to enforce public order.

Protesters blocked traffic and set fires on the Ayalon highway, Tel Aviv’s main thoroughfare, some wearing sweaters 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.

They chanted slogans calling for the resignation of the prime minister or calling him a traitor.

One of the demonstrators criticized the government for opening new fronts to unjustified wars. Mr. Netanyahu does nothing to preserve our peace, the peace of the Palestinians, the peace of everyone in this regionhe added.

He felt that he had no absolutely nothing done to free the hostages still detained in Gaza.

Accusing the Prime Minister of having abandoned the hostages, a hostage’s mother believed that Mr. Netanyahu was putting intentionally endangering the security of the State of Israel, all because of a dispute between him and Gallant over how to continue the war in the south of the country.

Bibi prefers to sacrifice my son’s bloodshe told TV channel 12.

Other demonstrators gathered in Jerusalem in front of the prime minister’s residence. Police reported three arrests.

Deep and lasting divergences

Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli press has repeatedly reported the imminent dismissal of the Minister of Defense, due to significant differences between the two men.

The announcement of Mr. Gallant’s departure came the day after he signed 7,000 conscription orders for ultra-Orthodox people to join the army.

Everyone must serve in the army and participate in the mission of defending the statehe declared after his dismissal. We must not allow corrupt and biased legislation to pass […] which would exempt tens of thousands of citizens from sharing the burdenexplained Mr. Gallant.

A bill must be presented to Parliament to legalize the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox. Mr. Gallant promised to fight as an MP against this bill.

The conscription of the ultraorthodox has been a point of divergence between the two men for months. If Mr. Gallant is in favor of their conscription, his religious and far-right government colleagues are fiercely opposed to it. And Mr. Netanyahu leaned more towards far-right ministers like Itmar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who guarantee the survival of his government coalition. However, Mr. Gallant is a member of Likud, Mr. Netanyahu’s party.

THE haredim (God-fearing in Hebrew) make up about 14 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, or nearly 1.3 million people, and about 66,000 military-age men are exempt because they dedicate themselves to study of the sacred texts of Judaism under a rule established at the creation of Israel in 1948.

Furthermore, the two men had irreconcilable differences over the conduct of the war.

Mr. Gallant was in favor of a diplomatic approach to reach an agreement on the hostages.

Israel must ensure return of hostages held in captivity as quickly as possible et as long as they are aliveeven at the cost of painful compromiseYoav Gallant said Tuesday in a statement after his departure.

Considering the military successes over the past year, I assure you that it is possible. It is possible to bring back the hostages, but it includes painful compromiseshe declared.

Mr. Gallant also publicly expressed his doubts about a absolute victory against Hamas mentioned several times by the Prime Minister.

The former Minister of Defense was also in favor of an in-depth investigation into the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Which the Prime Minister did not particularly encourage.

Praise from Washington and warning from the president

The United States hailed Yoav Gallant, calling him important partner.

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Minister Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to Israel’s defense. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with the next Israeli Defense Ministersaid a State Department spokesperson.

Mr. Gallant has been the United States’ main interlocutor during the 13-month war in the Gaza Strip and now in Lebanon.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned Tuesday against upheaval in the country at war for more than a year and called for responsibility leaders.

The last thing the State of Israel needs right now is upheaval and rupture in the middle of warhe said on X.

He called on political leaders to act with great responsibilitybelieving that Israel’s security should be placed above all considerations.

With information from Yediot Ahoronot, Al Araby and Agence France-Presse