Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the immediate future, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office told KAN News on Monday.
According to the source, Netanyahu’s associates are negotiating with United Right Chairman Gideon Sa’ar to replace Gallant. However, Sa’ar denied the claims.
In response to the news, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “The publications regarding negotiations with Gideon Sa’ar [to replace Gallant] are incorrect” but did not make any mention of the dismissal of the Defense Minister.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X/Twitter that he had been calling on Netanyahu to fire Gallant for months, “and the time has come to do so immediately.”
“A decision must be made about the North and Gallant is not the right man to make it,” he added.
במשך חודשים ארוכים אני קורא לראש הממשלה נתניהו לפטר את גלנט, והגיע הזמן לעשות זאת באופן מיידי. חייבים הכרעה בצפון וגלנט הוא לא האיש המתאים להוביל את זה.
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) September 16, 2024
MK Meirav Cohen said, “If it is possible to replace a defense minister during a war, it’s possible to change a prime minister during a war.”
Democrats leader, Yair Golan, said “Gideon, unflattering polls are no reason to abandon your values. For years, you’ve preached how corrupt Netanyahu is and how he acts out of personal motives. If you join his government, you’ll become exactly what you’ve spoken out against.”
“Those who don’t want elections know why. When they happen, and the public ousts this failure of a government, we’ll be there as a clean, honest alternative that doesn’t trade values for positions.”
“To avoid elections, Netanyahu will fire Gallant, appoint Gideon as Defense Minister, start a war with Lebanon, which will surely turn into a full-scale regional war. The horrors of the war will allow him public support, silencing the protest and forgetting the hostages.”
גדעון סקרים לא מחמיאים זאת לא סיבה לזרוק את כל הערכים בצד.שנים שאתה מטיף כמה נתניהו מושחת ופועל ממניעים אישיים, אם תצטרף לממשלה אתה תהיה בדיוק מה שהטפת נגדו.מי שלא רוצה בחירות יודע למה. כשהן יתקיימו והציבור יעיף את ממשלת המחדלים אנחנו נהיה שם כאלטרנטיבה נקייה וישרת כפיים שלא…
— Yair Golan – יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) September 16, 2024
Benny Gantz criticized Netanyahu: “Instead of the Prime Minister focusing on defeating Hamas, returning the hostages, fighting Hezbollah, and ensuring the safe return of northern residents to their homes, he is preoccupied with disgraceful political maneuvers and replacing the Defense Minister just as Israel is about to begin an intense campaign in the North.”
“This reflects poor judgment and distorted priorities.”
ניתוק – קווים לדמותו:במקום שראש ממשלת ישראל יהיה עסוק בניצחון על החמאס, בהחזרת החטופים, במלחמה בחיזבאללה ובהחזרת תושבי הצפון לבתיהם בביטחון – הוא עסוקבקומבינות פוליטיות בזויות ובהחלפת שר ביטחון לפני מערכה עצימה בצפון.הדבר מעיד על שיקול דעת לקוי וסדרי עדיפויות מעוותים.
— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) September 16, 2024
KAN also reported that senior officials in the ultra-Orthodox parties said that they “could work better” with Sa’ar than with Gallant regarding the specifications of the Haredi draft law.
In response to rumors, the hostage families’ headquarters said that the appointment of Sa’ar “would be a clear and unequivocal admission by the Prime Minister that he has decided to finally abandon the hostages.”
“MK Sa’ar has previously expressed his clear and public opposition to the deal, calling it ‘terms of surrender.'”
Sa’ar’s party currently has four MKs, the other three being MKs Ze’ev Elkin, Sharren Haskel, and Michel Bouskila. According to a Channel 12 report, the other three MKs will also receive government positions – with Elkin and Haskel becoming ministers, and Buskila becoming the chairman of a Knesset committee.
Another report by Channel 12 was that the prime minister was also considering appointing Sa’ar as foreign minister, and appointing either current foreign minister Yisrael Katz or Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter as defense minister instead of Gallant.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin reportedly was the mediator between Sa’ar and Netanyahu. The justice minister refused the report.
A number of Likud MKs expressed support for the move. MK Dan Illouz wrote on X that it was time for Sa’ar to “enter under the stretcher” instead of remaining “irrelevant in the opposition.” Another Likud MK, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Gallant needed to be removed since he was acting according to “has-beens” and not according to Netanyahu’s policies. Sa’ar was a worthy choice as defense minister, the MK said, adding that defense ministers did not have a security background. The MK gave as an example the former defense ministers Moshe Arens and Amir Peretz who were “excellent” despite not coming from a security background.
Another difference of opinion between Netanyahu and Gallant has been on the issue of the haredi IDF draft. The prime minister has preferred to keep the haredi draft to the IDF to a minimum so as not to risk a departure by the haredi parties from his government. Gallant, however, has demanded a broader solution that will be accepted by parts of the opposition, whereby haredi men will be drafted in larger numbers in order to meet IDF manpower needs.
Sa’ar said in a statement that the issue of the haredi draft had not come up in negotiations, and that his position has remained unchanged, that “the legislation must be based on the IDF’s needs and coordinated with the security establishment.”
Disagreements over the North
According to KAN, tensions between Netanyahu and Gallant reached a peak on Sunday night regarding the escalating situation with Hezbollah.
KAN reported Netanyahu as saying that “If Gallant tries to thwart an operation in the North – he will be replaced.”
The commander of the IDF’s Northern Command, Uri Gordin, supported a limited operation, while Gallant opposed it.
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