Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening, the 5th of November, dismissed the country’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, citing a “crisis of trust” and replaced him with a close ally, Israel Katz, who will lead the country’s war in Gaza and Lebanon, according to Politico and Reuters.
“To my regret, although in the first months of the battle there was this trust and very fruitful work, in the last months this trust was cracked,” Netanyahu said in a video.
“In the middle of a war, more than ever, there is a need for complete trust between the prime minister and the defence minister … My highest duty as Prime Minister of Israel is to safeguard Israel’s security and lead us to complete victory.”
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, while Katz will be replaced by Gideon Sa’ar, who has no ministerial responsibilities, the office said.
Following Gallant’s dismissal, protesters in Israel blocked highways and lit bonfires on roads, police said.
Gallant and Netanyahu, both from the right-wing Likud party, have been at odds for months over the aims of Israel’s 13-month war in Gaza. But the timing of Gallant’s dismissal came as a surprise and came at a time when Israel’s ally the United States was holding a presidential election.
The Biden administration has had a relatively good relationship with Gallant, unlike with Netanyahu himself, whose volatility has often infuriated the White House.
“Minister Gallant has been an important partner in all matters related to Israel’s defence,” said a US State Department spokesman. “We will continue to work as close partners with the next Israeli defence minister.”
Netanyahu said that Gallant had made statements that “contradict government decisions and cabinet decisions”. In response, Gallant said that “Israel’s security has always been and will always be my life’s mission.”
Katz promised to return Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip and to destroy Hamas and Hezbollah.
“I take on this responsibility with a sense of mission and a holy fear for the security of Israel and its citizens,” Katz told on X.
More than 43 300 Palestinians have been killed in the more than year-long war in Gaza, according to Gaza health authorities. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on the 7th of October 2023, killing around 1 200 people and taking around 250 hostages.