Protests erupt in Israel after Netanyahu fires defence minister

KATHMANDU: Protests have erupted in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired the country’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Netanyahu said a “crisis of trust” between the two leaders led to his decision, adding that his trust in Gallant had “eroded” in recent months and Foreign Minister Israel Katz would step in to replace him.

Gallant said his removal was due to disagreement on three issues, including his belief that it is possible to get the remaining hostages back from Gaza if Israel makes “painful concessions” which it “can bear”.

Many protesters on the streets were calling for Netanyahu to resign, and demanding the new defence minister prioritise a hostage deal.

Netanyahu and Gallant have long had a divisive working relationship. During the past year, there have been reports of shouting matches between the two men over Israel’s war strategy.

The former defence minister has also been unhappy at plans to continue to allow Israel’s Ultra Orthodox citizens to be exempt from serving in the military.

Months before the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Netanyahu had fired Gallant over political differences, before reinstating him following major public outcry.

But on Tuesday Netanyahu said: “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defence”.

He said although there had been trust and “fruitful work” in the first months of the war, “during the last months this trust cracked”.

Netanyahu added that “significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign”.

These were “accompanied by statements and actions that contradict the decisions of the government,” he added.

Following the news, Gallant posted on social media that the “security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life”.

He later released a full statement on Tuesday night saying his removal from office had been “the result of disagreement on three issues”.

He believed there should be no exceptions for military service, that a national inquiry was needed to learn lessons, and the hostages should be brought back as soon as possible.

In reference to the hostages, he said: “I determine that it is possible to achieve this goal. It requires painful concessions, which the state of Israel can carry and the IDF can bear.”

One of those protesting following the announcement, Yair Amit, said Netanyahu is endangering the whole country and called on the prime minister to “step down from his office and to let serious people lead Israel”.

Some protesters lit fires on the Ayalon Highway and blocked traffic in both directions, according to Israeli media.

A group representing the families of people taken hostage by Hamas in its 7 October attack also condemned Netanyahu’s dismissal of Gallant, calling it a continuation of efforts to “torpedo” a release deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on the incoming defence minister to “express an explicit commitment to the end of the war and to carry out a comprehensive deal for the immediate return of all the abductees”.

Around 100 hostages out of 251 taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 remain unaccounted for more than a year into the war.

His replacement Katz is seen as even more hawkish in terms of military strategy.

Another Netanyahu ally, Gideon Sa’ar – who previously held no cabinet portfolio- will become the new foreign minister.

Gallant’s removal will come into effect in 48 hours. The appointment of the new ministers requires the approval of the government and then the Knesset.

Netanyahu first fired Gallant in March 2023 following their disagreement over controversial plans to overhaul the justice system.

But he was forced to retract the sacking following massive public protests in several cities in Israel – an event that became known as “Gallant Night.”

In May this year, Gallant voiced open frustration at the government’s failure to address the question of a post-war plan for Gaza. Gallant wanted Netanyahu to declare publicly that Israel has no plans to take over civilian and military rule in Gaza.

It was a rare public sign of divisions within Israel’s war cabinet over the direction of the military campaign.

“Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the cabinet,” Gallant said, “and have received no response”.

Netanyahu responded by saying that he was “not ready to exchange Hamastan for Fatahstan,” in reference to rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah.

Responding to Gallant’s removal on Tuesday night, members of Israel’s political opposition parties called for protests from the public.

Gallant’s dismissal also takes place on the day of the presidential election in the US- Israel’s key backer in its war in Gaza – a timing noted by several Israeli media outlets.

Gallant was viewed as having a much better relationship with the White House than Netanyahu.

A representative for the White House’s National Security Council said on Tuesday: “Minister Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to the defence of Israel. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel’s next minister of defence.”

Observers note that Gallant’s removal also comes at a time where Netanyahu is under pressure by far-right politicians to pass a bill which would have continued to allow Israel’s ultra-Orthodox citizens to be exempt from serving in the military. Gallant had been a high-profile opponent of the bill.

-BBC