Netanyahu fires Gallant amid US elections as Israel braces for Iran attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday night, citing a “crisis of trust” that “gradually deepened,” replacing him with Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

The move comes as Israel is braced for a direct Iranian attack and after the IDF under Gallant’s command executed a successful strike on the Islamic Republic that targeted its missile production facilities.

“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the defense minister,” Netanyahu stated, as he laid out his rationale for Gallant’s removal while the country was over a year into a war with Iran and its proxies, chiefly Hamas and Hezbollah.

“Unfortunately, although in the first few months of the campaign there was such trust and very fruitful work, over the last few months, this trust has cracked between myself and the defense minister,” Netanyahu said.

Gallant wrote on X/Twitter, “The security of the State of Israel was and will always remain my life’s mission.”

His firing will come into effect in 48 hours. The appointment of Katz and that of United Right chairman Gideon Sa’ar, who will replace him, requires the approval of the government and then of the Knesset.

Disagreements between Gallant and Netanyahu

National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot called for the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to convene immediately with Netanyahu and Gallant in attendance.

Gallant has been the stable pillar of Israeli-US relations and is well-loved by the public, but he has sharply disagreed with Netanyahu on critical military and political issues, including the hostage deal and drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the army. Netanyahu fired him amid the US elections, with the Biden administration focused on the presidential election.

The animosity between the two men predated the war, with Netanyahu initially attempting to fire him in March 2023, backtracking after public protests in support of Gallant shut down the country. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in protest in what became known as “the Night of Gallant,” and Netanyahu backtracked.

This second firing already threatened to engulf the country in protests. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the public to hold large street protests.

“I call on Yesh Atid members and all Zionist patriots to take to the streets tonight in protest,” he wrote on X.

Netanyahu fired Gallant after a crisis with the United Torah Judaism Party deepened over the prime minister’s decision to backtrack on a bill that would incentivize haredi yeshiva students to avoid IDF service.

Gallant has objected to Netanyahu’s attempt to obtain an ultra-Orthodox exemption from IDF service, sparking a new wave of accusations that he was scarfing security on the altar of his own political ambitions.

Lapid wrote that Gallant’s dismissal “in the middle of a war is an act of madness.... Netanyahu is sacrificing Israel’s security and IDF soldiers for despicable political survival. The full-right government prefers draft dodgers over those who serve.”

Netanyahu said he was committed to safeguarding the country’s security and leading the nation to an “absolute victory.”

Still, he said, “significant gaps have emerged between myself and Gallant in the management of the campaign, and these gaps have been accompanied by statements and actions that contradict the government’s decisions and the decisions of the cabinet.

“I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they widened. They also reached the public in an unacceptable way, and worse, they reached the enemy – our enemies took satisfaction from this and derived a lot of benefit from it,” Netanyahu said.

Eisenkot charged that it was Netanyahu who helped the enemy by firing Gallant, explaining that he harmed the country‘s security interest.

Firing Gallant “compromises national interests, erodes public trust in the state, and jeopardizes Israel’s ability to succeed in the war and accomplish its objectives,” he said.

A US National Security Council spokesperson responded cautiously.

“Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel’s next minister of defense. We refer you to the Israeli government for more information on its personnel decisions,” the spokesperson said.

Katz thanked Netanyahu on X, stating he would work to achieve Israel’s security and war goals, “the return of all the hostages as the most important valued mission, the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the containment of Iranian aggression and the return of the residents of the North and South to their homes in safety.”