Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday is rife with implications and fallout. It appears to reflect Netanyahu’s decision to double-down on crazy in his genocidal wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and his desire to strike Iran’s nuclear program. One of the obvious beneficiaries of the firing of Gallant is National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the most extreme advocates of genocide against Palestinians who has long been calling for Gallant to be fired. Ben-Gvir said that “it is not possible to achieve absolute victory” in the war with him in office. “The prime minister did well to remove him from his position.”
Netanyahu replaced Gallant with current Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who is described as a hack politician who knows nothing about military matters but is totally loyal to Netanyahu. His position as foreign minister entitled him to sit in the security cabinet.
The Biden administration is claiming that they were not informed by Netanyahu about his plan to sack Gallant, who is widely being described as the Biden Administration’s “most trusted partner” in Israel. In fact, Secretary of State Antony Blinken did speak to Gallant by phone the day before Netanyahu fired him, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also talked to Gallant frequently.
The Times of Israel reports this morning that the Biden administration was caught off guard and is “concerned” by Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant. One U.S. official said that Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant on the day of the U.S. presidential election indicates that he was trying to avoid blowback from the Biden administration while its focus is currently elsewhere. “We have real questions about the reasons for Gallant’s firing and about what is driving the decision,” another U.S. official told Times of Israel. “The surprising decision to fire Defense Minister Gallant is concerning, especially in the middle of two wars and as Israel prepares to defend against a potential attack from Iran.”
The Times of Israel conveyed the rumor that Netanyahu also plans to fire IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. While Netanyahu has the sole authority to replace Bar, the defense minister is responsible for firing or nominating an IDF Chief of Staff. Katz is widely seen as being willing to do Netanyahu’s bidding.
