Netanyahu fires Defense Minister Galant: The gaps have widened further and have reached the enemy's knowledge

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Tuesday and appointed Israel Katz, who was serving as Foreign Minister, in his place.

"My highest commitment as prime minister of Israel is to maintain Israel's security and achieve complete victory," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.

"In the midst of war, more than ever, there is a need for complete trust between the prime minister and the defense minister. Unfortunately, although this trust existed and there was very fruitful cooperation in the first months of the campaign, in recent months this trust between me and the defense minister has eroded," he added.

"There were significant gaps between me and Galant regarding campaign management, and these gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted government decisions and decisions of the inner cabinet," he said.

Continuing his explanation of the reasons, Netanyahu said that he tried to bridge the gaps, but that they “widened further and also became known to the public in an unconventional way, and worse than that, it reached the enemy’s knowledge – and our enemies took advantage of that,” he said.

He described the crisis of confidence between him and Galant as having become a "public issue," stating, "It's not just me who says this, but most of the government members and almost all of the members of the inner cabinet share the same feeling as me, that this cannot continue."

As for the reason for his selection of Katz, he said that the former “proved his capabilities and contribution to national security as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Intelligence for five years, and most importantly, as a member of the Security Cabinet for many years.”

Netanyahu continued that Katz "is known for his ability to execute with responsibility and calm determination, and these things are very important in managing the campaign," referring to the open war fronts today between Israel and its opponents from Palestinian factions and armed militias loyal to Iran.

In addition, Netanyahu said, "I spoke today with Minister Gideon Sa'ar and offered him to join his faction in the coalition and serve as foreign minister," because Sa'ar has extensive experience and vision in the fields of politics and security, and will constitute "a strong addition to the leadership team."

The Israeli Prime Minister considered that the joining of Sa'ar's bloc would enhance the stability of the coalition and the stability of the government, and this is "very important at all times, especially in times of war."

In response, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised Netanyahu's decision, saying: "I congratulate the prime minister on his decision to dismiss Galant... With Galant, who is still deeply captive to old concepts, absolute victory cannot be achieved, and the prime minister did well to remove him from his position."

On the other hand, the head of the official camp, Benny Gantz, commented on the X platform on the dismissal in brief words, saying: “Policy at the expense of state security.”

In recent months, a disagreement has emerged between Netanyahu's approaches to the war that has been ongoing for more than a year in the Gaza Strip, and the escalation on Israel's northern border with Hezbollah since last September.

A week ago, Galant said in a letter published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that “the war is being conducted without a compass and it is necessary to update its goals,” adding, “The current situation in which we are acting without a clear compass and without updating the goals of the war is harming the management of the battle and the decisions of the cabinet.”

He pointed out that "the major developments in the war, especially the exchange of direct strikes between Israel and Iran, increase the need to hold a discussion and update the objectives of the war with a comprehensive view of the various arenas and the interconnectedness between them."

Source: Agencies