Upheaval within the Israeli government. The Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, was dismissed from his post on Tuesday, November 5 by Benjamin Netanyahu, after differences over the conduct of the war in Gaza by the Jewish state.
This surprise departure creates a game of musical chairs. Yoav Gallant is replaced by his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Israel Katz. The latter leaves his post to Gideon Saar, until then minister without portfolio. Franceinfo returns in three questions to the political situation in the country and the wave of protests raised by this change.
What are the reasons for this departure?
The disagreements between Yoav Gallant, who became a general in the Israeli army in 2002, then military attaché to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu were known. “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”thus affirmed the head of government in a letter addressed to Yoav Gallant.
“Significant differences appeared (…) in the conduct of the campaign [militaire]accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government and the cabinet.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime MinisterIn a letter addressed to Yoav Gallant
Yoav Gallant confirmed the dissensions during a televised speech. A leading figure in the war that Israel has been waging since September against Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, he also pleaded for a truce with Hamas in the Gaza Strip with a view to obtaining the release of the hostages kidnapped during the attack on 7 -October. “Our moral and ethical duty is to bring back (…) those kidnapped by Hamas. We must do it as quickly as possible and while they are alive”he declared. “In view of the military successes over the past year, I assure you that it is possible. It is possible to bring back the hostages, but that includes painful compromises”he continued.
Yoav Gallant also raised another point of contention: the exemption from compulsory military service from which some men (around 66,000) in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community benefited until a contrary decision by the Supreme Court in June. “Everyone must serve in the army and participate in the mission of defending the state, we must not allow the passage of a corrupt and biased law (…) which would exempt tens of thousands of citizens from sharing the burden”justified the former minister.
“This question is not just social, it is the most central question of our existence and our future”he insisted. However, a bill must be presented to the Israeli Parliament to set these exemptions in stone, even though the ultra-Orthodox parties have so far been key allies of Benyamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.
Who replaces Yoav Gallant at the head of the Ministry of Defense?
Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to find a replacement in the person of Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Nicknamed the “bulldozer” and sitting in the security cabinet, the Likud MP “combines the responsibility and calm problem-solving qualities that are essential to leading this campaign”justified the Prime Minister.
“We will work together to lead the Department of Defense to victory against the enemy and to achieve the objectives of the war: the return of the hostages, the destruction of Hamas, the defeat of Hezbollah, the containment of Iranian aggression and the return home in safety of the inhabitants of the north and the south [d’Israël]“assured the new Minister of Defense on Tuesday on his X account.
In another message on Wednesday, he also congratulated Donald Trump on his victory. He assures that“Together, Israel and the United States will strengthen the US-Israeli alliance, bring back the hostages and stand firm to defeat the Iranian-led axis of evil”.
This movement within the government allows Gideon Saar to be named Israel’s foreign minister, replacing Israel Katz. Ex-journalist and lawyer, Benyamin Netanyahu’s former rival within Likud slammed the door of the party in 2020, to found his own, Tikva Hadasha (New Hope). Marked more to the right than the Prime Minister, iin particular advocated an annexation of Israeli colonies in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. The two men formalized their reconciliation with the return in September of Gideon Saar to the government in a position of minister without portfolio.
What are the reactions after this departure?
If the Minister of Internal Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, located on the far right, estimated that Benjamin Netanyahu had “well done” to separate, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for unity in a message on X.
“The last thing the State of Israel needs right now is upheaval and rupture in the middle of war.”
Isaac Herzog, President of Israelon the X network
The Israelis did not necessarily hear it since thousands of them gathered in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to protest against the dismissal of Yoav Gallant. Forty people were arrested during this demonstration, said the police, reports the daily website Haaretz. The Families Forum, the main association of relatives of hostages, said “deeply concerned” of the ouster of Yoav Gallant, calling on Israel Katz to “prioritize” to an agreement for the release of captives in Gaza.
In institutions, voices are also being raised against this departure. The Supreme Court ordered the government to respond to an appeal asking the court to overturn the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, says Haaretz. A response is expected by Thursday.
Abroad, the United States recognized that Yoav Gallant was a “important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel”. But this departure should not call into question relations between the two countries. A State Department spokesperson assured that Washington “will continue to work with the next Israeli defense minister”.
