US caught off guard, ‘concerned’ by defense minister’s ouster on Election Day
‘We have real questions about the reasons’ for the firing,’ US officials tell ToI, say move timed to avoid Washington’s ire; Gallant has been main Israeli in contact with Biden admin
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The Biden administration was caught off guard and is “concerned” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, US officials told The Times of Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that he fired Gallant on Tuesday evening, citing a lack of mutual trust during a time of war as his reason. Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, while Minister without Portfolio Gideon Sa’ar will replace Katz as top diplomat.
Tuesday’s announcement is the second time in under two years that Netanyahu has fired Gallant from the post of defense minister.
One US official said that Netanyahu’s decision to fire Gallant on the day of the US presidential election indicated that the premier was trying to avoid blowback from the Biden administration while its focus currently elsewhere.
“We have real questions about the reasons for Gallant’s firing and about what is driving the decision,” another US official told The Times of Israel. “The surprising decision to fire Defense Minister Gallant is concerning, especially in the middle of two wars and as Israel prepares to defend against a potential attack from Iran.”
In its response, the Pentagon called Gallant “trusted partner” and said it would continue to work closely with Israel’s next defense minister, without naming Israel Katz, the Likud confidant who Netanyahu appointed.
“America’s commitment to Israel’s security remains ironclad and the US Department of Defense will continue to work closely with Israel’s next Minister of Defense,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
The words earlier echoed ones from a White House National Security Council spokesperson who avoided directly criticizing Netanyahu’s decision to fire him.
Over the past year, administration officials speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity have shared their belief that some of Netanyahu’s key decisions relating to the prosecution of the war against Hamas have been motivated by his need to maintain the support of far-right coalition partners in order to remain in power.
Gallant was the cabinet member who maintained the most frequent contact with any senior Biden administration official, holding nearly 100 calls with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin since the beginning of the war with Hamas, which began on October 7 of last year when the terror group led a devastating assault on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.
While there were periodic disagreements, US officials saw Gallant as a voice of reason within the Israeli government who understood that Israel’s continued prosecution of its war against Hamas was dependent on it being able to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.
When Netanyahu fired Gallant for the first time in March 2023 over the defense minister’s opposition to the premier’s effort to overhaul the judiciary, the White House expressed “deep concern,” adding that the political upheaval underscored the need for compromise between the various factions in the Knesset on the issue of legal reform.
Netanyahu ended up walking back his decision to fire Gallant following massive public opposition to the move.
