Netanyahu office denies reports of move to replace Gallant with Sa'ar

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
16 Sep 2024 18:51

Israeli media are reporting that Netanyahu is seeking to dismiss Security Minister Yoav Gallant and replace him with Gideon Sa'ar, due to the latter's approach to the war.

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Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant pauses while making a brief statement to the media on Oct. 16, 2023, in Tel Aviv. (AP)

Israeli media circulated information that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to dismiss Security Minister Yoav Gallant under the pretext of "obstructing the expansion of the attack on Lebanon," stressing that "Gideon Sa'ar will succeed him within an hour."

While Netanyahu's office denied any ongoing negotiations with Sa'ar to appoint him as Security Minister instead of Gallant, Likud officials informed Israeli media of significant rapprochement in talks with Sa'ar.

"The only thing separating Sa'ar from the government is Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Gallant, a decision he has not yet made definitively," they said, further stressing that "relations between Netanyahu and Gallant are strained."

Additionally, the Likud officials underscored that "the options on the table" are to bring Sa'ar in as security minister or as foreign minister replacing Yisrael Katz who would become security minister.

However, they maintained that the first option "has much higher chances."

They pointed out that "Likud wants Sa'ar in order to expand the government" and also because they understand that removing Gallant "will solve the conscription problem with the Haredim [ultra-Orthodox Jews]."

Officials indicated that "the government believes that Sa'ar's security approach is closer to most components of the government than Gallant's."

But amid all these statements, Sa'ar responded to questions about joining Netanyahu's government by saying, "There is nothing new in this matter."

Netanyahu: 'Bye Bye' Gallant

In this context, the military affairs analyst on Channel 14, Noam Amir, said that "Gallant is currently sitting with Netanyahu, and his advisors are sitting outside, watching how Netanyahu says to him: 'Bye Bye'," adding that "the road to war in the north begins with Gallant's dismissal."

Israeli media noted that "Gallant is with Netanyahu now in a reduced security discussion," while "it is expected that he will meet afterward with American mediator Amos Hochstein to conduct talks to prevent escalation in the north."

In this framework, Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he had been calling for months for the dismissal of Gallant, and "the time has come to do so immediately," adding, "We must end matters in the north, and Gallant is not the right man to lead that."

A wave of criticism against Netanyahu

In contrast to these circulating reports, the Israeli occupation's Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement affirming that "appointing Gideon Sa'ar as Security Minister stands as a clear and unequivocal acknowledgment by Netanyahu that he has decided to abandon the hostages definitively."

For his part, State Camp Party leader Benny Gantz said that Netanyahu "is preoccupied with petty political arrangements and changing the Security Minister instead of focusing on defeating Hamas, returning the hostages, waging war against Hezbollah, and ensuring the safe return of the northern residents," emphasizing that this matter "reflects poor judgment and a distorted set of priorities."

Political analyst Amit Segal believed that "the leak of the disagreement over the north was prepared to build a case for replacing Gallant, as if there were no other reasons for the break between the two," adding that for this reason, "Gallant worked to publish a statement this morning reminding that the confrontation with Hezbollah is drawing nearer," as if he wanted to tell them not to use the claim that he is deterred from engaging in the war as a reason for his dismissal.

This comes amid ongoing talks across different Israeli occupation circles about shifting the army's center of gravity to the north in preparation for a broader confrontation with Hezbollah. At the same time, this step is a major point of contention between the security and political establishments, with military officials warning that expanding the war against Lebanon will lead to grave repercussions on "Israel", while others support the move.