Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, sparking protests around Israel. Some say the move could endanger the country’s security, as Israel continues to fight in both Gaza and Lebanon.
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the dismissal of his popular defense minister, thousands of Israelis took to the streets, blocking roads — including the main highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem — and setting tires on fire. Police used force to break up the protests and arrested dozens of people.
Netanyahu said he fired Gallant because he no longer trusted him.
Netanyahu said full trust is required between the prime minister and defense minister, especially in the midst of war, and while such trust existed at first, it has since cracked.
An emotional Gallant said he disagreed with Netanyahu on several issues, including the need to draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, which is sharply opposed by key parties in Netanyahu’s coalition government.
Gallant said he believed everyone of conscription age must serve in the Israel Defense Forces and defend the state of Israel, so he planned to vote against a proposed law to permanently exempt the ultra-Orthodox from army service. Netanyahu’s coalition partners have vowed to bring down the government unless the law is passed.
Some Israeli analysts said Netanyahu fired Gallant in an effort to preserve his coalition and stay in power.
The leaders of Israel’s opposition parties responded harshly to Netanyahu’s move, with opposition leader Yair Lapid calling it an act of insanity by an incompetent prime minister.
Israeli analysts say the dismissal of Gallant could make it harder for Israel to meet its goals on both fronts of its current war — Lebanon and Gaza. Dr. Efraim Sneh, a former senior general, said Gallant’s replacement, Yisrael Katz, has no military experience.
“In a time of war, one of the most complicated wars in several arenas with a lot of complexities, in the middle of the war, the political person, the ministerial authority, above the IDF, someone with obviously no experience,” Sneh said.
Netanyahu tried to fire Gallant a year and a half ago, before the war between Israel and Hamas had started. That time, he changed his mind amid demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of Israelis. Opposition groups are calling for large-scale protests again this time.
