Netanyahu delays dismissal of defence minister

Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has decided to keep Yoav Gallant as defence minister despite his dramatic announcement last week that he was firing him after he called for the freezing of the right-wing government’s controversial judicial overhaul.

The announcement of Mr Galant’s dismissal led to hundreds of thousands of protesters pouring on to Israel’s streets and the Histadrut trade union federation declaring a general strike. With Israel in chaos, Mr Netanyahu announced a pause in the parliamentary passage of bills to weaken the judiciary while talks took place in an effort to reach a compromise.

Despite the announcement that he was firing his defence minister, Mr Netanyahu never sent a letter of dismissal and on Monday, eight days later, the dismissal was put on hold, with security considerations cited.

Mr Gallant will remain in the role for now although he has yet to meet Mr Netanyahu, who is demanding a public apology for his comments on the judicial reform. Mr Gallant has refused to apologise, indicating he would only be prepared to express regret over the timing of his comments – while Mr Netanyahu was on an official visit to London.

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Mr Gallant’s predecessor as defence minister, Benny Gantz, head of the opposition National Unity party, urged Mr Netanyahu to announce that he is not firing Gallant in the interests of Israel’s security. “Israel’s security is not some audition for a show or movie. Israel’s citizens need a permanent defence minister. Not in the future. Now,” he said.

Avigdor Lieberman, who also served as a defence minister under Mr Netanyahu and now leads the right-wing opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, accused Mr Netanyahu of “playing ego games,” claiming that he’s preoccupied with the type of apology Mr Gallant will offer.

“There is nothing more detrimental to the security services than instability and uncertainty regarding the identity of the defence minister,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the government has agreed that a 2,000-strong National Guard is to be set up under the direct control of national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, despite the opposition of the police chief and the attorney general.

Mr Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) party, has been convicted on numerous public disorder offences and, in the past, was a proud anti-Arab racist activist.

Mr Netanyahu agreed to grant Mr Ben-Gvir control over a National Guard force in return for a promise not to quit the coalition last week in response the decision to freeze the judicial overhaul.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the National Guard as “a private militia for a dangerous TikTok clown”.

Israel’s police chief warned that the new unit “could prove most costly and even harm the security of citizens.”