Israel’s defense minister is in uncertainty after being sacked
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Sulaiman
- . April 1, 2023
- . Update: April 1, 2023 7:29 pm
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to postpone his disputed proposal to revamp the judicial system five days ago after his decision to remove his defense minister sparked a wave of unannounced large protests and a countrywide strike that threatened to bring the nation to a standstill.
Yet, a Netanyahu official said that the prime minister never even formally terminated Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Gallant, who was fired for objecting to Netanyahu’s proposed court changes, was still employed as of Friday. The Defense Ministry was conducting business as usual, according to Gallant’s advisers.
Gallant remained in limbo — and even so, the public face of his ministry — as local media this week erupted with stories of Netanyahu debating whether to replace Gallant with veterans of his right-wing Likud party.
This week, he welcomed the Azerbaijani foreign minister, visited two military installations, and went to the security Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Read | Israel’s defense minister is in uncertainty after being sacked
His office released a picture of Gallant grinning next to Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar at the celebration on Thursday that was held in advance of the Jewish festival of Passover.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of Israel’s vital Defense Ministry, which manages Israel’s 55-year military occupation of the West Bank and faces threats from Iran, the Hezbollah terrorist organization of Following one of the most dramatic weeks for the nation in decades, tensions inside Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition are showing up in Lebanon and among the militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip.
Since he leads a highly divisive nation and is accused of corruption, Israel’s longest-serving premier is also put to the test in terms of his leadership.
According to experts, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to postpone plans to weaken Israel’s Supreme Court in the face of the nation’s largest protest movement highlights the difficult juggling act the prime minister must perform to keep his governing coalition together.
On the one side, Netanyahu must appease his far-right and religiously conservative coalition allies who propelled him to power even as he is on trial and who are proponents of judicial reform.
But he must also consider the United States, Israel’s closest ally, which has serious reservations about the plan. He must also consider the resentment of more moderate politicians and, perhaps most importantly, the dissension within Israel’s military over worries that the national crisis could jeopardize the security of the country.
Concerns were raised that the crisis would weaken Israel’s military capabilities as an increasing number of military reservists refused to report for service in opposition to the measures.
