by Joel B. Pollak, Breitbart:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, citing a breakdown in trust. He is said to be preparing to fire the heads of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA).
According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu fired Gallant in person, handing him a letter of termination in the prime minister’s office.
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Netanyahu then published a video explaining his decision, citing a loss of trust over time, and actions by Gallant contrary to the government’s policies, which he said made it impossible for him to continue in his position.
The firing was not unexpected: Netanyahu dismissed Gallant for insubordination in 2023, after the latter took advantage of Netanyahu’s brief absence from the country to come out against his proposed judicial reforms.
Netanyahu later rescinded his decision, and Gallant had been one of the more widely respected members of his government as he steered Israel’s war effort. However, Gallant remained a political rival, often speaking out in favor of a hostage deal with Hamas, even when there was none to be had — a signal of support to the Israeli opposition.
The news came as Netanyahu pushed back against claims that his office had leaked classified information to the media. The investigation is being controlled by the IDF and the ISA, which have kept details of the investigation secret. Columnist Caroilne Glick likened the security services’ behavior to an attempted “military coup” in Israel.
According to Glick, Israel’s defense establishment and legal fraternity — which have never liked Netanyahu — wanted to use the temporary distraction of U.S. elections to push Netanyahu out, before a potential win by Donald Trump.
The machinations all took place against the backdrop of a possible missile attack by Iran, which has spoken about continuing its assault on Israel despite the successful Israeli retaliation against previous Iranian attacks last month.
Netanyahu replaced Gallant with foreign minister Israel Katz, who be replaced by Gideon Sa’ar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sa’ar is a former critic of Netanyahu who made amends and recently joined his government.
