Gallant goes; Ben-Gvir cheers; Gantz criticises; Golan protests

Reactions in Israel varied on Tuesday evening after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, even as the occupation state is carrying out a genocide of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and attacking Lebanon. Foreign Minister Israel Katz takes over from Gallant, with Gideon Sa’ar, head of the National Right party, taking the foreign ministry portfolio.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu informed Gallant of his dismissal only 10 minutes before the official statement was issued. “The security of the State of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life,” said Gallant on X in response to Netanyahu’s decision.

Praising Netanyahu for his move, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also took to X and said, “I congratulate the prime minister on the decision to dismiss Gallant… He did well to remove him from his position.”

The head of the State Camp party, Benny Gantz, criticised the dismissal, saying that, “Politics [came] at the expense of national security.”

Meanwhile, Yair Golan, the head of the Democrats party, called on Israelis to take to the streets to protest about Gallant’s dismissal.

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