Questions are being raised whether Netanyahu fears that the law is about to close in on him. The Nov. 3 arrest of his press spokesman Eli Feldstein, which included authorities raiding Netanyahu’s offices for criminal violation of national security laws, was followed on Nov. 5 by his firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, raising speculation that Netnayahu fears he could also be investigated for these crimes.
While it is said Gallant was dumped because he opposed a law that would allow army deferments for the ultra-Orthodox Jews, whose political parties are key to holding together Netanyahu’s coalition government, Haaretz journalist Amos Harel suggests otherwise. In an article, “Netanyahu’s Successful Ouster of Israel’s Defense Minister Has the Army on High Alert” (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-11-08/ty-article/.premium/netanyahus-successful-ouster-of-israels-defense-minister-has-the-army-on-high-alert/00000193-083c-d8ad-a3ff-3c3ffe6d0000) Harel asserted that Gallant’s firing could be a prelude to the firing of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, the head of the Shin Bet Ronen Bar, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, all directly involved in the investigation of the Feldstein case.
Feldstein and two unnamed IDF intelligence officers are suspected of illegally extracting sensitive intelligence from the IDF. The stolen intelligence was related to last summer’s hostage negotiations which was then leaked to the German daily Bild and the British weekly Jewish Chronicle. The information was manipulated to demonstrate that it was Hamas that was blocking a deal and not Netanyahu, which the authorities saw as not only a criminal offense but also as having damaged the hostage negotiations.
