After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, President Isaac Herzog is concerned: “The last thing the State of Israel needs now is an upheaval and a rupture in the middle of the war,” Herzog warned of political turbulence on Tuesday evening . in wartime.
“It is the job of the leadership to act with great responsibility at this time,” said the statement from the politician, who comes from the ranks of the opposition Labor party. The country’s security “must be above all considerations,” he added.
Secretary Katz replaces Gallant
Netanyahu justified Gallant’s dismissal with political disagreements over the conduct of the war. The head of government said confidence in Gallant had been “eroded”. The new Minister of Defense will be Foreign Minister Israel Katz. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will in turn be taken over by Gideon Saar, head of the conservative New Hope party.
Gallant: Three points of contention led to a break
Galant cited three problems with Netanyahu as reasons for his resignation. These include his opposition to a law that would exempt many strictly religious men in Israel from military service, his demand for an agreement to release hostages held by Hamas and for the creation of a state commission to investigate the border area of the Israeli massacre on 7 October to investigate. last year. Galant warned of a “sign of Cain” for Israeli society if the surviving hostages are not released.
Thousands protested: highway blocked in Tel Aviv
Opposition members criticized the dismissal. Opposition leader Yair Lapid described Gallant’s dismissal in the middle of the war as an “act of madness”. He called on Israelis to protest. “Take to the streets,” opposition Labor Party leader Yair Golan wrote on Platform X. Thousands of people followed the call in the Mediterranean metropolis of Tel Aviv and elsewhere. In Tel Aviv, they blocked the major city highway Ayalon with burning tires and chanted “Bibi is a traitor,” “Bibi to jail” and “criminal government.”
Photos from the protests in Tel Aviv:
Minister of Police supports dismissal
“Politics comes at the expense of national security,” complained National Union leader Benny Gantz, a former member of Netanyahu’s now-dissolved war cabinet. However, right-wing police minister Ben Gvir welcomed the dismissal. With Gallant it was “impossible to achieve a complete victory,” he said.
The US praised Gallant as a “key partner on all issues related to Israeli security.” “As close allies, we will continue to work with Israel’s next Secretary of Defense,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson added on Tuesday.
Escalation following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023
Israel is engaged in a tough multi-front war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, which is also an ally of Iran. The country is also under attack by militias loyal to Iran in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The conflict with Iran itself, which has been simmering for decades, has now broken out openly. The war was sparked by the massacre by Hamas and other Gaza Strip extremists in Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 dead and around 250 kidnapped.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
