Updated November 05, 2024 at 15:40 PM ET
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region. The move sparked protests across the country.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival before taking the step as the world's attention was focused on the U.S. presidential election. Netanyahu cited "significant gaps" and a "crisis of trust" between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
"In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defense minister," Netanyahu said. "Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defense minister."
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But as the war has dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged.
While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for at least a temporary diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the militant group.
Many of the families of the hostages, along with tens of thousands of people who have joined anti-government protests, accuse Netanyahu of scuttling a deal in order to maintain his hold on power. Netanyahu's hard-line partners have threatened to bring down the government if he makes concessions to Hamas, raising the risk of early elections at a time when the prime minister's popularity is low.
"Firing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness," opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X. "Netanyahu is selling Israel's security and the Israeli army soldiers for a disgraceful political survival."
The grassroots forum representing hostage families said Gallant's dismissal is "a direct continuation of the 'efforts' to torpedo the abductee deal." It called on the new defense minister, Israel Katz, to make an "explicit commitment" to end the war and reach a deal to bring home their loved ones.
Within hours, thousands of protesters gathered in central Tel Aviv, blocking the city's main highway. The crowd, many holding blue and white Israeli flags and others blowing whistles and pounding drums, gathered around a small bonfire in the middle of the road. About 1,000 other demonstrated outside Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem. Protesters gathered and blocked roads in several other spots across the country.
The dismissal comes at a delicate time. Israeli troops remain bogged down in Gaza, over a year after invading the territory, while Israeli ground troops are pressing ahead with a month-old ground invasion against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Israel also has clashed with Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and is facing the possibility of another strike by Iran. Iran has vowed to avenge an Israeli strike that came in response to an Oct. 1 Iranian missile attack, itself a reprisal for earlier Israeli attacks on Iranian-linked targets.
Israel's Channel 12 TV said that Netanyahu's decision was prompted by Gallant's decision this week to send out thousands of draft notices to young ultra-Orthodox men.
Under a longstanding and controversial arrangement, religious men are exempt from military service, which is compulsory for most Jews. This system has bred widespread resentment among the secular majority, and Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the government to scrap the system. Netanyahu, whose governing coalition depends on ultra-Orthodox parties, has not yet implemented the order.
Earlier Tuesday, Gallant had visited Israeli troops stationed near the Lebanese border, where he talked of the need to enlist ultra-Orthodox soldiers, saying it was needed to improve security and national solidarity. "This is the people of Israel. There is no one else."
Channel 13 TV said Netanyahu had also taken advantage of the U.S. election, when American attention is focused elsewhere, to dismiss his rival.
The White House on Tuesday declined to comment on the firing but called Galant "an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel."
"As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel's next Minister of Defense," the White House National Security Council said.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: "The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission." He was expected to deliver a statement on national television later Tuesday.
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the Oct. 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Katz, his replacement, currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister. Katz thanked Netanyahu and pledged to lead the security establishment to victory in the wars against Israel's enemies.
Katz, 69, was a junior officer in the military decades ago and has little military experience, though he has been a key member of Netanyahu's Security Cabinet over the years. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who rejoined the government in September, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralizing his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made "many attempts" to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
Copyright 2024 NPR