Netanyahu said preparing to fire Defense Minister Gallant, replace him with Sa’ar
Members of government have been calling for Gallant’s ouster for months, with Ben Gvir saying he must be fired ‘immediately’; both PM and Sa’ar deny reports
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and is considering appointing New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar as his replacement, national broadcaster Kan reported on Monday, citing an official within the prime minister’s bureau.
If the post of defense minister does not pan out, Sa’ar may receive the foreign minister role while Israel Katz takes over for Gallant, Channel 12 reported. It also claimed that New Hope MKs Ze’ev Elkin and Sharren Haskel may be offered ministerial portfolios.
The Prime Minister’s Office denied negotiations with Sa’ar, and a spokesman for Sa’ar claimed there was “nothing new” on the issue.
Rumors that Netanyahu would replace Gallant have been circulating for months, with Sa’ar denying as early as July that he had received an offer that would bring him back into the coalition.
Asked at the time if he would be willing to serve as defense minister in the current government, however, Sa’ar appeared to hint that he would consider the option, replying that he wouldn’t “tie my hands” on the matter.
The former Likud lawmaker and minister joined the coalition following the October 7 Hamas invasion and slaughter in southern Israel. He announced his party’s departure in March after his demand to be admitted to the now-defunct high-level war cabinet was denied. He has since harshly criticized the government’s conduct of the war in Gaza and has said he would be willing to make “concessions” to create a right-wing bloc opposing Netanyahu.
In August, Channel 12 reported that discussions aimed at having Sa’ar take over at the Defense Ministry had broken down after the premier’s wife and advisers indicated they would not trust the hawkish former Likud politician as defense minister.
According to that report, Sa’ar had demanded the defense portfolio but was rebuffed, instead being offered other roles such as foreign or justice minister. A spokesman for Sa’ar denied this, telling The Times of Israel at the time that “there were no negotiations, so there was no breakdown.”
Since then, contacts between the two sides were reestablished, with Sa’ar and Netanyahu holding a meeting in person on the topic, the Walla news site reported last week.
That report said Netanyahu was offering Sa’ar a seat in the cabinet and reserved spots for New Hope on the slate of his Likud party in the next elections, whenever they may be.
Relations between Gallant and Netanyahu have been tense ever since Netanyahu announced he was firing Gallant in March 2023 over his criticism of the government’s judicial overhaul, before reversing course two weeks later under intense public pressure.
Sa’ar harshly criticized Netanyahu for firing Gallant, tweeting that the prime minister was pushing Israel “into the abyss.”
Members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have been calling for Gallant’s termination for months, angered, among other issues, by his opposition to an ultra-Orthodox military enlistment bill backed by the government and his public break with the prime minister over a hostage deal and control over the Philadelphi Corridor in Gaza.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Monday that reports of negotiations with Gideon Sa’ar were “incorrect,” while a spokesman for Sa’ar said that “there is nothing new in this matter.”
Sa’ar also denied subsequent reports that he had been negotiating with the Knesset’s Haredi parties in order to reach a compromise on the conscription of the ultra-Orthodox community, which would smooth the way for his inclusion in the coalition.
“Contrary to media reports, there were no negotiations on the content of the conscription law between Sa’ar or anyone on his behalf and the ultra-Orthodox parties or any other party,” New Hope said in a statement, adding that “MK Sa’ar’s position was and remains that any legislation should be based on the needs of the IDF and coordinated with the security establishment.”
Support from Sa’ar for a compromise with the Haredim would make Netanyahu’s life easier, as United Torah Judaism chief Yitzhak Goldknopf has reportedly threatened to vote against the upcoming budget several months from now if the law does not advance, which could force elections.
The possibility of Sa’ar’s addition to the coalition was welcomed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who tweeted that he had been demanding Gallant’s ouster for months “and the time has come to do so immediately.”
Benny Gantz, chairman of the opposition National Unity party, was less sanguine, accusing the prime minister of “contemptible political plans and the replacement of the defense minister” rather than focusing on “victory over Hamas, the return of the hostages, the war with Hezbollah, and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum also reacted negatively to the news, noting that Sa’ar has said a proposed agreement is tantamount to “surrender” to Hamas and has instead advocated the use of military pressure to free the hostages,
“Prime Minister Netanyahu, this is not the time for musical chairs or to engage in political survival,” the group said, adding that while “our hostages are languishing in Hamas tunnels, all your time and efforts should be devoted to achieving the goals of the war and returning all the captives home.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid in response tweeted out a series of quotes from 2022 in which Sa’ar had bashed Netanyahu, saying that his “principles do not allow me to support a leader who puts his personal good above everything.”
“Any government headed by Netanyahu will be a government that will survive due to political deals and not due to the public good. We will not take part in this,” Lapid quoted Sa’ar as saying.
Some members of the coalition have indicated support for a unity government in recent days.
Speaking at an event last week, Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer of the far-right Religious Zionism party said that now is “the time to join forces and know how to act together.”
According to Channel 12, President Isaac Herzog has been holding talks with politicians on both sides of the aisle to push for unity. The network also quoted an official from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party as stating that “there is a will and there is support for a unity government.”
Shas leader Aryeh Deri is reportedly pushing the prime minister to expand the makeup of the coalition in order to dilute the influence of Ben Gvir.
Despite this, Knesset Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni told MKs on Monday that while there had been a proposal on the table for a unity government but it is no longer extant.
