Jerusalem- Embattled Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed defence minister Yoav Gallant amid raging war in Gaza and Lebanon which shows no sign of ending.
In a surprise announcement late Tuesday, the office of the Israeli prime minister said he had replaced Gallant with the foreign minister Israel Katz.
Netanyahu and Gallant have frequently clashed over war in Gaza which has increasingly come under sharp criticism globally despite firm military and diplomatic US and Western backing.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities across Israel as opposition members called for a general strike after Netanyahu sacked Gallant.
Protesters blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv and lit large bonfires, chanting slogans against Netanyahu.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the premier’s decision an act of madness.
He said Netanyahu is selling out the regime’s security for his “despicable political survival.”
Gallant had publicly criticized Netanyahu for the breakdown of a Gaza ceasefire agreement, prompting a sharp response from the prime minister’s office.
Israeli media had highlighted significant rifts between Netanyahu and key security officials, including Gallant, over the ceasefire, a potential prisoner exchange with Hamas, and the oversight of the Gaza-Egypt border area, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, in addition to the escalating situation along Lebanon’s border.
Netanyahu is accused of blocking the Gaza ceasefire deal to advance his personal agenda.
The statement by Netanyahu’s office quoted him as saying that Gallant’s decisions and public statements increasingly contradicted the regime’s collective decisions.
“Although in the first months of the campaign, there was such trust and very productive work, over the past few months that trust has eroded.”
Netanyahu said this erosion of trust was not only detrimental to their working relationship but also potentially advantageous to Israel’s enemies, who could exploit internal disagreements.
White House says Gallant was ‘important’ partner
Gallant has been an “important partner” to the US on all matters related to Israel’s security, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
“As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel’s next Minister of Defense,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Gallant is a prominent figure within the ruling Likud Party and had significant support among the settlers due to his policies.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralizing his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
In March 2023, Netanyahu fired Gallant from the cabinet following his public dissent against the regime’s controversial judicial overhaul plan, sparking widespread protests that ultimately prompted Netanyahu to reconsider his stance.
Netanyahu led campaign has devasted Gaza killing over 43,000 and injuring more than 100,000 others.
The regime recently launched a brutal war on Lebanon, which has reduced a number of villages in southern Lebanon to rubble and killed or injured thousands.
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