OAN Staff James Meyers
1:54 PM – Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he fired Israel’s popular defense minister, who is considered a Biden administration contact, in a surprise announcement on Tuesday after several months of butting heads over their ongoing war.
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It was reported that Netanyahu personally handed Yoav Gallant his termination letter after a brief meeting in the premier’s office, according to the Times of Israel.
“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the war there was trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the Defense Minister,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider,” he added. “They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy — our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it.”
The fired Gallant, who is set to be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, said the security of Israel “always was, and will always remain, my life’s mission.”
The sudden firing caused protests in Tel Aviv as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticized Gallant’s dismissal as Netanyahu’s latest alleged efforts “to torpedo the hostage deal.”
“The dismissal of the Defense Minister is an unfortunate proof of the Israeli government’s poor set of priorities,” the Forum said in a statement.
Some reports are alleging that Netanyahu waited until Election Day in the U.S. to fire Gallant to avoid criticism from the Biden-Harris administration, who’s main focus is on the election, according to a U.S. official that spoke with the Times Of Israel.
The U.S. official also claimed that the Biden-Harris administration was caught off guard by the decision in the Jewish State, who have been known for regularly meeting with Gallant throughout the war.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has repeatedly warned Israel against attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure, along with its nuclear and oil facilities.
Reports from last week suggested that Iran could be waiting to respond against Israel until after the U.S. presidential election.
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