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Netanyahu fires Defense Minister Gallant – Why now?

Responding to his firing on X, the defense minister wrote, ‘The security of the State of Israel was and will always remain my life’s mission.’

By JNS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, the premier announced on Tuesday night.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz will be appointed to Gallant’s position, while Minister-without-Portfolio Gideon Sa’ar has been offered to fill the post of Jerusalem’s top diplomat, according to Netanyahu.

“Unfortunately, over the past months, the trust between me and the minister of defense has been broken. There were significant gaps regarding the management of the [military] campaign, and these gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government,” the premier said in a video statement.

“I made repeated efforts to bridge these gaps, but they only widened. These issues even reached the public in an unacceptable manner, and, worse, became known to our enemies, who took pleasure and found advantage in it,” added Netanyahu.

In a missive published by Channel 12, the premier told Gallant that his dismissal would be effective 48 hours after the delivery of the letter. “I would like to thank you for your work as defense minister,” wrote Netanyahu.

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Responding to his firing on X, the defense minister wrote, “The security of the State of Israel was and will always remain my life’s mission.”

Netanyahu and Gallant had been at odds since the 2023 judicial reform crisis. In May of last year, while Netanyahu was abroad, Gallant called a solo press conference and urged the prime minister to halt the judicial reform legislation amid massive street protests throughout Israel.

Some 24 hours later, Netanyahu announced his intention to fire Gallant. Nationwide protests against the government’s now-shelved judicial reform agenda intensified, and the premier reversed his decision.

Six months ago, Netanyahu and other members of his coalition slammed Gallant after he demanded that Jerusalem commit to Palestinian control over the Gaza Strip post-war with Hamas.

In September, after news broke that the Israel Defense Forces found the bodies of six hostages in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza, Gallant demanded that Netanyahu renege on a decision to keep IDF troops on the enclave’s border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

The majority of Likud Party voters lost faith in Gallant and wanted to see him fired, according to a JNS/Direct Polls survey carried out in July.

This is a developing story.