Twice Fired By Netanyahu From Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant: Israel's Security Has Always Been My Mission

Yoav Gallant. (Twitter/@yoavgallant)

Yoav Gallant said Israel's security was always and would always be its mission, after being sacked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his position as Minister of Defense on Tuesday.

"The security of the State of Israel has always been, and will always be, the mission of my life," Gallant wrote on social media X as quoted November 6.

The statement was identical to the one he published on the eve of his first dismissal, 18 months ago, quoted by The Times of Israel.

Yes, Tuesday's announcement was the second time in less than two years that Gallant was fired by Netanyahu from the position of defense minister.

In March 2023, Netanyahu sacked Gallant the day after Gallant called for a temporary suspension of the legislative process of the controversial government judicial reshuffle plan, which he said led to a split that threatened Israel's security.

However, he was re-inducted less than a month later, leading the Ministry of Defense when Hamas carried out a deadly terror attack in southern Israel on October 7 last year and remained in his post during the war in the Gaza Strip, fighting on the northern border and land operations in southern Lebanon.

ביטחון מדינת ישראל היה ותמיד יישאר משימת חיי 🇮🇱🇮🇱

— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) November 5, 2024

"Let's say it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea, it's a good idea.

In a press conference Tuesday evening he explained that there were three reasons for his dismissal: The need to recruit Haredi members to the IDF, a must to bring the hostages back from Gaza, and the need for a state investigation commission in a Hamas terror attack on October 7 and the next war.

The issue of recruiting Haredi members, he said, "not only social issues, but it is an important topic for our existence Israel's security and the country that resides in Sion." Israel will face complex challenges in the coming years, he said.

"In a situation like this, there is no choice. Everyone must serve in the IDF, and participate in a mission to defend Israel," he said.

"Discriminatory and corrupt laws" on Haredi's registration should not be allowed to pass, he warned, referring to law-driven by the party Haredi United Torah Judas and Shas which will retain the exclusion of ultra-Orthodox men from military service, after the High Court ruled earlier this year that there was no longer a legal framework that would allow the state to refrain from drafting it.

As Defense Minister, Gallant opposed the law, putting it at odds with the Haredi party, both of which demanded that the law be pushed as a priority issue and said they were ready to overthrow the coalition if it was not passed into law.

The second problem, said Gallant, is a matter of a hostage-taking deal. He hinted firmly that Israel should prioritize an agreement to remove the remaining 101 hostages from Gaza, even if that means Hamas remains in the Gaza Strip.

"Anyone who dies among the hostages will never be returned. Nothing and there will never be a sin for leaving the hostages," he explained.

"It will be a sign of cloth on the forehead of Israeli society, and on those who lead this wrong path," Gallant continued.

Finally, he requested a government investigation into the Hamas terror attack on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and held 251 people hostage as terrorists raged in dozens of southern Israeli communities.

Citing the need to reveal the truth and take military, political and security lessons, Gallant warned this is the only way to prepare Israeli troops to face challenges in the future.

"We are eliminating terror leaders in the world and across the Middle East. We are operating for the first time in an appropriate, deadly and fast attack in Iran," he said.

"Since October 7, I have focused on one mission, winning the war," he added.

Gallant's own position will be replaced by Israeli Foreign Minister Katz, whose position will then be filled by the Minister without Portfolio Gideon Sa'ar.

The sacking saw protesters take to the streets across the country, just like they did in March 2023, joining a spontaneous demonstration dubbed "Gallant 2 Night," although the demonstration appeared to be much smaller than last year.

Protests erupted in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while dozens were reportedly protesting in Haifa, Nahariya, and other communities in northern Israel, which oppose instructions by the Domestic Front Command to limit public gatherings.

In Tel Aviv, thousands of people took advantage of the spontaneous nature of the protests and took to Ayalon Street, blocking traffic in both directions as police were unable to close entrances to the highway by truck, as they usually did for weekly Saturday night protests.

In Jerusalem, the masses gathered near Netanyahu's private residence on Azza Street, calling for the removal of the prime minister, which they refer to as a "twice," and the release of the hostages detained by Hamas.

The Hostage Family Forum called Gallant's dismissal "a direct continuation of efforts to thwart a hostage-taking deal."

In a statement, the group, which represented the hostages' families on October 7, expressed "deep concern" about the dismissal, "and how this sudden change could affect the fate of 101 hostages seized by Hamas terrorists in Gaza."

It said they expected Katz to "prioritize the hostage-taking deal and work closely with mediators and the international community to secure the immediate release of all hostages," adding: "Our future as a society depends on the return of all hostages and the end of this war."