Netanyahu allies make the case for firing Israeli defense minister

TEL AVIV—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political allies vigorously made the case for him to replace his defense minister amid bitter disagreement over the war in Gaza, a move that would deepen the divide between the leader and his security establishment and remove the government’s main advocate of a tighter relationship with the U.S.

Sacking Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has clashed publicly with Netanyahu for months, would have wide-ranging impacts on the country’s multifront war and U.S. efforts to end it. He has been the anchor of the relationship with the U.S. and the most vocal advocate of the Biden administration’s key foreign policy goal that Israel should reach a cease-fire deal in exchange for hostages still held in Gaza.

As tension has grown between the U.S. and Netanyahu over the prime minister’s failure to reach a deal, Pentagon announcements show Gallant has spoken nearly 70 times with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by phone and several more times in person in the 11 months of the war.

His firing would also further estrange Netanyahu from the military’s leadership, who say the prime minister’s promise of total victory over the militant group Hamas is unachievable and want a pause in Gaza for exhausted troops so they can turn their attention to the conflict with Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon.

“Switching the defense minister on the eve of possibly setting out for a more intense campaign in the north that is liable to turn into a regional war—in my eyes this is security negligence,” former Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday. “Human lives and the future of the nation are at stake.”

Relations between Netanyahu and Gallant have been poor for months with the men barely on speaking terms outside of the security forum, according to people familiar with the matter. Gallant, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, has criticized the prime minister in meetings, parliamentary appearances and even press conferences.

As the disagreements come to a head, the prime minister’s supporters and right-wing partners are publicly calling for Gallant’s dismissal. On Tuesday, Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Army Radio that Netanyahu and Gallant had a crisis of trust and that it would be appropriate to put in a defense chief who could work with the prime minister.

The comments from Netanyahu’s allies came a day after the prime minister’s office denied local-media reports that talks to replace Gallant were under way. Gallant’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Their relationship will face further tests in the months ahead, as fighting with Lebanese militia Hezbollah intensifies on Israel’s northern border and tensions continue to run high with Iran.

Talk of Gallant exiting the government has been rife for months. When asked about the possibility of firing Gallant in a press conference in July, Netanyahu said that “as long as there is trust, it is possible to keep working together.”

Netanyahu reiterated those claims when asked about the defense minister in a news conference earlier this month, saying that “this trust requires one thing above all else—that all the ministers without exception are committed to government and cabinet decisions.”

Gallant has publicly criticized Netanyahu for failing to establish a plan for postwar Gaza, which the defense minister said is undermining Israel’s military achievements and could force Israeli reoccupation of the strip.

Some top military officials say the only alternative to Hamas or an Israeli occupation is to bring in the Palestinian Authority, which governs some areas of the West Bank. Netanyahu fiercely opposes that alternative, leaving no clear path to a postwar civil administration in Gaza.

Gallant pushed back against Netanyahu’s idea of total victory, a concept questioned by many security analysts, during a committee session in the Israeli parliament in August. Netanyahu’s office responded by saying that total victory is the clear directive of the prime minister and the cabinet and “is binding on everyone—including Gallant.”

Netanyahu last month said he won’t agree to a cease-fire deal that would require Israel to immediately evacuate key corridors in the Gaza Strip. Gallant has argued that it is more urgent to cut a deal that frees some hostages than to leave troops in those areas.

The prime minister’s position has visibly frustrated the U.S., which Israel depends upon for armaments and military support as it fights on multiple fronts.

Far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have threatened to leave if Israel stops the war before defeating Hamas. Replacing Gallant could give Netanyahu breathing room to keep his hard-line coalition together.