Israel: why Benjamin Netanyahu fires his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant

Why did Benjamin Netanyahu unceremoniously dismiss his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, this Tuesday, November 5 evening? Shortly after the surprise announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister justified it in these terms: “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the war there was trust and very fruitful work, this trust has cracked between me and the Minister of Defense in recent months. »

According to initial evidence, this is not a divergence of views regarding the wars waged by the government. Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, had requested an arrest warrant against the two men for alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli army since October 7, 2023.

Political earthquake

Benyamin Netanyahu also mentioned elements “made known to the public in an unacceptable manner and, even worse, made known to the enemy – our enemies then took advantage of this and profited greatly”.

In Israel, the news is a political earthquake. According to several media outlets in the country, this dismissal is motivated by domestic political considerations: Yoav Gallant opposed laws that allow the ultra-Orthodox not to serve in the army.

However, the ultra-Orthodox parties, within the government coalition, threatened to bring down the government. With this decision, Benjamin Netanyahu strengthens the most extreme fringe of his government. The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, welcomed this decision: “It is impossible to achieve total victory with Gallant in place”he reacted. Yoav Gallant was replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the latter himself being replaced by Gideon Saar.