Mass protests in Israel after Netanyahu fires his defense minister in desperate bid to hold onto power

Israelis are protesting following the news that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as the country’s political and military unity continue to deteriorate.

Netanyahu said that his trust in the defense minister “eroded” in recent months and that they were experiencing a “crisis of trust.”

According to Gallant, the problem stems from the two leaders failing to see eye to eye on three major issues, one of which is Gallant’s belief that Israel may be able to get its remaining hostages back from Gaza if they make some “painful concessions.” Another is the issue of ultra-Orthodox Jews serving in the military, while the last one is questions surrounding an official inquiry into the attack by Hamas on Israel last October.

The working relationship between the two men has been tense for some time, with reports of screaming matches breaking out between them about the country’s war strategy. Netanyahu once released a press statement in which he said Gallant took on an “anti-Israel narrative,” while Gallant called Netanyahu’s objectives in Gaza “nonsense.”

Foreign Minister Israel Katz will be taking his post, while Gideon Sa’ar will take Katz’s place as foreign minister.

Netanyahu is trying to keep his coalition together

Many observers expected Netanyahu to fire Gallant and replace him with someone who is more aligned with him politically in an attempt to bolster his power within his own party as he struggles to keep his delicate coalition together; a collapse would mean the end of his time as prime minister.

Another driver was Gallant’s insistence that ultra-Orthodox Jews should not be exempt from compulsory military service, maintaining that “the security system under my leadership will not submit it to legislation.” Netanyahu needs the support of ultra-Orthodox parties to govern, and they have made no secret of their intention to destroy his coalition should they be forced to serve.

Earlier this week, Gallant announced that he had issued thousands of draft notices to ultra-Orthodox men of serving age.

Thousands of people take to the streets as unpopular war rages on

The news of his dismissal was met with widespread protests, with thousands of Israelis taking to the streets and calling on Netanyahu to resign. Many of the protesters are also calling for Katz to prioritize working out a hostage deal.

Demonstrations were seen in Tel Aviv, where thousands of protestors crippled traffic and blocked the city’s main highway. People also took to the streets in Jerusalem, with several thousand people protesting outside of Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. Some TV stations showed footage of protestors scuffling with police, while the families of some of the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza chanted “Bibi is a traitor.”

Similar protests were seen last year when Netanyahu first considered firing Gallant well before the October 7 Hamas attacks because he was opposed to proposed judicial reforms.

One parent of an Israeli hostage said in a statement that removing Gallant “during a war and appointing a yes-man, who lacks security related experience, in his place, is sending a clear message – no one will stand up to Netanyahu and prevent him from torpedoing deals and prolonging the war.”

The move was also criticized by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who called Gallant’s dismissal an “act of madness” in a post on X, adding: “Netanyahu is selling out Israel’s security and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers for his despicable political survival.”

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the firing was “the last thing Israel needs.”

Some have speculated that Netanyahu timed the firing to take advantage of the worldwide focus on the U.S. presidential election. The White House hasn’t commented on the dismissal but said that Gallant was “an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel.”

Sources for this article include:

BBC.com

CNN.com