Politics Israel: Netanyahu dismisses Defense Minister Galant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed Defense Minister Joav Galant. He had lost confidence in the minister, according to a statement from the head of government's office. His successor is to be the former Foreign Minister Israel Katz, whose office will be taken over by the former Minister without Portfolio Gideon Saar.

"Although there was trust in the first months of the war and the work was very fruitful, this trust between me and the Minister of Defense has unfortunately broken down in recent months," Netanyahu wrote. Galant had made decisions and statements that contradicted the cabinet's decisions, the prime minister added. Most of the cabinet members agreed with him.

Galant: "The security of the State of Israel has always been my life's work"

Natanyahu described it as his highest duty to maintain Israel's security and lead the country to a complete victory. Galant also commented. "The security of the State of Israel has always been my life's work and will always remain so," he emphasized.

Netanyahu had already dismissed Galant once before in March last year after he publicly called for a halt to the controversial plans to restructure the judiciary and warned that national security could be seriously damaged. His dismissal was followed by fierce protests and a general strike. The head of government then suspended the plans and Galant's dismissal was later reversed.

Criticism from the opposition

Members of the opposition criticized the dismissal. Opposition leader Jair Lapid described Galant's dismissal in the middle of the war as an "act of madness". He called on Israelis to protest. "Take to the streets," wrote the chairman of the opposition Labor Party, Jair Golan, on Platform X. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, hundreds immediately responded to the call, as reported by the Times of Israel newspaper.

"Politics at the expense of national security", criticized the chairman of the National Union, Benny Gantz, a former member of Netanyahu's now dissolved war cabinet. The right-wing police minister Ben Gvir, on the other hand, welcomed the dismissal. With Galant, it was "impossible to achieve a complete victory", he said.

Media: Galant on course for confrontation with the military

Israeli media had already reported some time ago that Galant had spoken out against a major military operation in Lebanon, while military circles had been in favor of it. Netanyahu had also supported the call for a military operation, at least externally. Galant, on the other hand, wanted to give more time to diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel is involved in a tough multi-front war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, which is also allied with Iran. The country is also under attack from militias loyal to Iran in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The conflict with Iran itself, which has been smouldering for decades, has now also broken out openly. Israel is currently preparing for a possible Iranian counterattack. The war was triggered by the massacre by Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip in Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 dead and around 250 displaced.

SDA