Netanyahu allies make the case for firing Israel’s Defence Minister

Sacking Yoav Gallant would remove the anchor of Israel’s crucial relationship with the US and further estrange Benjamin Netanyahu from the military’s leadership.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (centre), with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (2R). Picture: Israeli Defence Ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political allies vigorously made the case for him to replace his defence minister amid bitter disagreement over the war in Gaza, a move that would deepen the divide between the leader and his security establishment and remove the government’s main advocate of a tighter relationship with the US

Sacking Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who has publicly clashed with Mr Netanyahu for months, would have wide-ranging impacts on the country’s multifront war and US efforts to end it. He has been the anchor of the relationship with the US and the most vocal advocate of the Biden administration’s foreign-policy goal that Israel should reach a ceasefire deal in exchange for hostages still held in Gaza.

As tension has grown between the US and Mr Netanyahu over the prime minister’s failure to reach a deal, Pentagon announcements show Mr Gallant has spoken nearly 70 times with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin by phone and several more times in person in the 11 months of the war.

His firing would also further estrange Mr Netanyahu from the military’s leadership, who say the prime minister’s promise of total victory over the militant group Hamas is unachievable and want a pause in Gaza for exhausted troops so they can turn their attention to the conflict with Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon.

Benjamin Netanyahu (L), Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces Herzi Halevi (R), and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (not seen) follow the attack by Israeli warplanes Hudaydah Port in Yemen. Picture: Anadolu via Getty Images.

“Switching the defence minister on the eve of possibly setting out for a more intense campaign in the north that is liable to turn into a regional war – in my eyes this is security negligence,” former Defence Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday. “Human lives and the future of the nation are at stake.”

Amid the calls to fire Mr Gallant, the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, said Tuesday that it had thwarted a bombing attack by Hezbollah targeting a former senior official in Israel’s security establishment who they didn’t name. The agency said the attack was expected to be carried out in the coming days. It said an explosive it discovered was similar to another one found in September 2023 that was also intended to target a senior Israeli official. Hezbollah hasn’t commented on the allegation.

The Shin Bet announcement came shortly before pagers carried by hundreds of Hezbollah operatives exploded Tuesday in Lebanon, leaving many of them injured. It couldn’t immediately be determined what caused the blasts, which were spread out across the country in several areas where Hezbollah has a heavy presence.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (L) and army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi attend a commemoration ceremony for soldiers killed during the 2014 Gaza war. Picture: AFP.

Relations between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant have been poor for months, with the men barely on speaking terms outside of security forums, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr Gallant, a member of Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party, has criticised the prime minister in meetings, parliamentary appearances and even news conferences.

As the disagreements come to a head, the prime minister’s supporters and right-wing partners are publicly calling for Mr Gallant’s dismissal. On Tuesday, Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Army Radio that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant had a crisis of trust and that it would be appropriate to put in a defence chief who could work with the prime minister.

“I support it,” Simcha Rothman, a politician with one of Mr Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, said of the idea of swapping out Mr Gallant. “He’s not operating the way I think he should.” The comments from Mr Netanyahu’s allies came a day after the prime minister’s office denied local media reports that talks to replace Mr Gallant were under way. Mr Gallant’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Their relationship will face further tests in the months ahead, as fighting with Lebanese militia Hezbollah intensifies on Israel’s northern border and tensions continue to run high with Iran.

Talk of Mr Gallant exiting from the government has been rife for months. When asked about the possibility of firing Mr Gallant in a news conference in July, Mr Netanyahu said that “as long as there is trust, it is possible to keep working together.” Mr Netanyahu reiterated those claims when asked about the defence minister in a news conference earlier this month, saying that “this trust requires one thing above all else – that all the ministers without exception are committed to government and cabinet decisions.” Mr Gallant has publicly criticised Mr Netanyahu for failing to establish a plan for post-war Gaza, which the defence minister said was undermining Israel’s military achievements and could force Israeli reoccupation of the strip.

Some top military officials say the only alternative to Hamas or an Israeli occupation is to bring in the Palestinian Authority, which governs some areas of the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu fiercely opposes that alternative, leaving no clear path to a post-war civil administration in Gaza.

Mr Gallant pushed back against Mr Netanyahu’s idea of total victory, a concept questioned by many security analysts, during a committee session in the Israeli parliament in August. Mr Netanyahu’s office responded by saying that total victory is the clear directive of the prime minister and the cabinet and “is binding on everyone – including Gallant.” Mr Netanyahu last month said he won’t agree to a ceasefire deal that would require Israel to immediately evacuate key corridors in the Gaza Strip. Mr Gallant has argued that it is more urgent to cut a deal that frees some hostages than to leave troops in those areas.

The prime minister’s position has visibly frustrated the US, which Israel depends upon for armaments and military and political support as it fights on multiple fronts.

Far-right members of Mr Netanyahu’s coalition have threatened to leave if Israel stops the war before defeating Hamas. Replacing Mr Gallant could give Mr Netanyahu breathing room to keep his hard-line coalition together.

Replacing Mr Gallant could also help relieve political pressure on the government over the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews, a controversial issue that has grown more contentious as the military struggles with manpower shortages. The ultra-Orthodox political parties have demanded exemptions for religious study, but Mr Gallant has pushed back against exemptions that don’t have broad political backing.

The Hostages Families Forum, a group that represents most of the hostage families, decried reports that Mr Netanyahu is looking to fire Mr Gallant, one of the strongest proponents of a hostage deal in the ruling coalition, saying such a move would be “signing the death warrant for the hostages.”

Dow Jones