Galant reveals 3 reasons for his dismissal from the Israeli government and widespread protests against Netanyahu's decision

Dismissed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant revealed that the decision to dismiss him from the Israeli government was made due to disagreements over three issues. At a time when tens of thousands of people protested Tuesday evening in different areas due to Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Galant

In a speech he gave on Tuesday evening, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his dismissal, he said that these issues are the conscription law, the return of prisoners, and the establishment of an official commission of inquiry into what happened on October 7, 2023.

Galant pointed out that “everyone of conscription age must join the army,” referring to his rejection of the law exempting religious Jews (Haredi) from conscription, adding, “It is not permissible to pass a law exempting thousands of citizens from conscription.”

#Galant : My dismissal comes due to disagreement over 3 issues: my firm position on conscription, our commitment to returning the kidnapped, and conducting a thorough and objective investigation into all events #AlJazeera_Mubasher pic.twitter.com/nNTf5mt1BZ

— Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) November 5, 2024

The second issue, according to Galant, is the need to work as quickly as possible to return the Israeli prisoners who have been held by the resistance in the Gaza Strip for more than a year, calling for concessions, “some of which are painful,” as he put it, in order to release them.

Galant spoke about the third issue, which is “drawing lessons through a systematic official investigation into what happened,” referring to the security failure, intelligence failure, and military failure that occurred in Israeli institutions, which led to the Battle of the Flood of Al-Aqsa on October 7 of last year.

Protests against Netanyahu after Galant's dismissal

Tens of thousands of people protested Tuesday evening in various locations across Israel against the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Protests were reported in Haifa, Netanya, Beersheba and at intersections across the country, as well as major demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to The Times of Israel.

Violent clashes between protesters and Israeli police in Haifa, and demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in protest of the dismissal of Defense Minister Galant #Gaza_War #News pic.twitter.com/OaedBfHUPu

— Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) November 5, 2024

Dozens also protested in Nahariya and other towns in northern Israel. Israeli media reported clashes between police and protesters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Galant and appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz as his successor.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party called Galant’s dismissal in the middle of the war “an act of madness,” and accused Netanyahu of “selling out the security of Israel and IDF soldiers for the sake of shameful political survival.” He added: “The far-right government prefers draft dodgers over those who serve. I call on Yesh Atid supporters and all Zionist patriots to take to the streets tonight in protest.”

As the chairman of the Democratic Party, Yair Golan, wrote on the X platform: “I call on all university presidents and all college presidents to suspend classes, and I call on all heads of the economy to stop working. I call on all heads of the security establishment to cry out, even now while you are in uniform. I call on all citizens of Israel to take to the streets. Netanyahu is destroying Israel, and only we can save it.”

For his part, the head of the "official camp" party, Benny Gantz, attacked Netanyahu's decision and wrote: "Politics at the expense of state security."

Source: Yemen Youth Net + Agencies