Defense minister sacked over rift with Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's firing of his defense minister Yoav Gallant underscores long-standing concerns about the viability of the ground offensive in Gaza and appears to be a strategy to deflect blame, analysts said.

Netanyahu made the bombshell announcement in a video posted on X on Tuesday. He confirmed he had dismissed Gallant, citing a "crisis of trust" and their differences over security matters.

"Over the past few months, the trust between the Defense Minister and me has eroded," Netanyahu said in the video statement, reported by Xinhua News Agency.

"Significant differences emerged regarding the management of the (military) campaign, accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted government and cabinet decisions," Netanyahu said.

In a post on X, Gallant said the security of the State of Israel "was and will always remain the mission of my life". He also paid tribute to the military and civilian victims.

Mehmet Rakipoglu, an assistant professor at Mardin Artuklu University in Turkiye, told China Daily that Gallant's dismissal highlights the Israeli military's "long-standing concerns about the viability of a ground offensive, warning the government of the likely challenges in achieving victory".

"This action seems more like a strategy to deflect blame for these failures rather than a measure to secure gains in Gaza," he said.

"Conducted on the day of the US elections, the timing also signals Netanyahu's defiance of external pressures, particularly from the US, which may increase demands on Israel to cease hostilities," Rakipoglu added.

Public clashes

During more than a year since Hamas attacked Israel in October last year, Netanyahu and Gallant have publicly clashed several times, including in May when Gallant criticized Netanyahu's lack of vision for a post-conflict Gaza.

Gallant has unapologetically accused Netanyahu of putting his political interests and survival above their country.

Netanyahu informed Gallant that his term would end within 48 hours and he would be replaced by Israel Katz, Netanyahu's close associate and foreign minister.

The decision was met with widespread criticism and protests in Israel because of Katz's limited military experience.

Ayman Talal Yousef, a professor of international relations at the Arab American University in Jenin in the West Bank, told China Daily that there was a clash between Netanyahu and Gallant in their vision of the military campaign.

"Netanyahu believes more in military solutions, more violent solutions, and he believes that the Israeli army is capable of achieving all objectives (from) political to strategic … either in Gaza or in southern Lebanon," Yousef said.

"On the other hand, Yoav Gallant is more pragmatic, is more moderate. He thinks that military success cannot be fulfilled fully without putting realistic, measurable, and observable goals to be achieved in the battleground," Yousef explained.

With the firing of Gallant, Yousef said Netanyahu "is planning to put his own command and his own hand over all these military services, including the army".

Yousef also noted the timing of Gallant's firing was deliberate in terms of exploiting the US election, which went to the polls on Tuesday.

The US has staunchly defended Israel even as the humanitarian catastrophe unfolded in Gaza, where staggering death tolls have hit almost 43,400.