Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday. He sent a note to Gallant that his tenure as defense minister would conclude “48 hours from the receipt of this letter.”

Why now? Netanyahu released a video on X in Hebrew explaining his decision:

In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust between the prime minister and the defense minister is required.

Unfortunately, even though in the early months of the campaign there was such trust and very productive cooperation, in recent months, that trust has cracked.

Between me and Defense Minister Gallant, significant gaps emerged regarding the management of the campaign, and these gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted government decisions and cabinet decisions.

Who will replace him? Netanyahu announced Foreign Minister Israel Katz would replace Gallant. Katz had replaced Eli Cohen as foreign minister earlier this year. Katz is a longtime Netanyahu ally and has jumped around several portfolios in Netanyahu’s cabinets. He first entered the Israeli government in 2003 as agriculture minister.

Katz posted after his appointment:

I accept this responsibility with a sense of mission and holy fear for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.

We will work together to march the security system to victory against our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war: the return of all the abductees as the most important value mission, the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the containment of Iranian aggression, and the return of the residents of the north and south to their homes in safety.

Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the New Hope party, will replace Katz as foreign minister.

Where to now? The cabinet shuffle coincides with Donald Trump’s victory in the United States presidential elections. During Trump’s first term, he was warm to Israel. On the campaign trail, his comments suggest he will be more favorable to Israel’s war effort than Joe Biden has been.

But Trump has also called on Netanyahu to finish the war quickly. Somebody more firmly supportive of the prime minister, like Katz, could make this a reality.

This means Israel will soon have to figure out what to do about Gaza. Netanyahu has made previous comments on his vision for a postwar Gaza. Our article “A Big Flaw in Netanyahu’s Great Vision” elaborates.