Israel's sacked defence minister Gallant quits parliament

Israel's sacked defence minister Gallant quits parliament
by AFP Staff Writers
Jerusalem (AFP) Jan 1, 2025

Israel's former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who was dismissed in November after spearheading the military campaign in Gaza for more than a year, announced Wednesday that he would resign from parliament.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sacked Gallant, saying there was a "breakdown in trust" amid disagreements between the two on several issues.

"I will submit my resignation to the speaker of the Knesset," Gallant said in a televised statement on Wednesday.

Minutes later his office released a photograph showing him submitting his resignation to the speaker of parliament.

"I have served the state for 35 years in the IDF (military) and a decade in the government and the Knesset.... There are moments when one must pause and reassess the direction," Gallant said.

But he vowed to "continue working with all my strength to bring our kidnapped sons and daughters back home".

Netanyahu and Gallant disagreed on several issues, notably the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service.

Gallant had been a key advocate for ultra-Orthodox Jews to be called up, but Netanyahu wanted their exemption to continue, fearing their conscription could break up his governing coalition which relies on the support of religious parties.

"I understood that the issue of drafting Haredim is not merely a social issue. It is, first and foremost, a necessary security and military need," he said in his statement on Wednesday.

"Therefore, I acted for the equal conscription of all those obligated to serve. Due to my insistence on prioritising the good of the state of Israel and the needs of the IDF, I was removed from my position as minister of defence."

Gallant and Netanyahu also clashed over the conduct of Israel's war in Gaza after the deadly attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

"I charted the course and set the direction that enabled the state of Israel to achieve a military victory of its enemies in the war," he said.

"As the former minister of defence, I take responsibility for everything that happened from the beginning of my term in the months leading up to the war and until the end of my term, over a year after the war began."

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who the Israeli military says it killed in Gaza.

The court said it had found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.