White House praises Gallant, pledges to work with his successor

A White House National Security Council spokesperson hails outgoing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and says the Biden administration will continue to collaborate with his successor but avoids directly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire him in the first White House reaction to the move.

“Minister Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel’s next minister of defense,” the NSC spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

“We refer you to the Israeli government for more information on its personnel decisions,” the spokesperson adds.

Moments ago, another US official told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant on the day of the US presidential election indicated that the premier sought to avoid pushback from Washington over the controversial decision to ax his defense minister in the middle of a war.