By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2024-11-05 18:40:07 | Updated at 2024-11-05 23:21:18
4 hours ago
Head of The Democrats party, Yair Golan, called for protests, saying, "Take to the streets."
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 5, 2024 20:38
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant seen in the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024
(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
"The security of the State of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted on X/Twitter on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired him.
This response is word-for-word what Gallant said when he was previously fired in March 2023.
National Unity head Benny Gantz also responded to the development, saying, "Politics at the expense of national security."
פוליטיקה על חשבון ביטחון המדינה.
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) November 5, 2024Head of The Democrats party, Yair Golan, called for protests, saying, "Take to the streets."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the move, saying, "I congratulate the Prime Minister on the decision to fire Gallant. With Gallant, who is still deeply trapped in the conceptzia, it is not possible to achieve absolute victory - and the prime minister did well to remove him from his position."
Hostage family forum responds
After the announcement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum also released a statement, saying:
The Families’ Headquarters for Hostage Return expresses deep concern over the dismissal of Defense Minister Gallant, calling it “a direct continuation of efforts to sabotage a hostage deal.” The families urge the incoming Defense Minister to "explicitly commit to ending the war and to a comprehensive agreement for the immediate return of all hostages."
They describe Gallant’s dismissal as “a sad reflection of the flawed priorities of the Israeli government,” stating that Israel has already achieved its primary military goals in Gaza: dismantling Hamas leadership, destroying its military infrastructure, blocking the Philadelphi Route, and neutralizing the majority of militants. The time, they argue, has come for Israel “to lead a comprehensive agreement for the release of all hostages and an end to the war.”
The Headquarters praises Gallant as "the first to recognize that strategic objectives had been achieved," stressing the "urgent need to turn military gains into a real victory” by securing the return of hostages and concluding the war in Gaza.
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They express regret that “instead of translating these gains into decisive action for the release of all hostages, the government has once again harmed the prospects of a deal." The families demand that the incoming Defense Minister "publicly, clearly, and resolutely commit to the immediate release of all hostages, honoring the fallen, and transforming the military victory in Gaza into a true victory aligned with the war’s objectives."
“There will be no victory and no revival for the State of Israel,” the statement concludes, “without the return of all hostages and the end of the war.”
They also decry any “political, partisan, and personal interests” standing in the way of what they see as the true national priority: "the immediate return of all hostages."
My highest duty as prime minister of Israel is to safeguard Israel’s security and lead us to a decisive victory, " Netanyahu's statement read.
"During wartime, more than ever, a complete trust between the prime minister and the defense minister is essential. Unfortunately, while we initially had this trust and accomplished much in the early months of the campaign, over recent months, that trust between me and the defense minister has eroded," Netanyahu added.
