Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Galant, a long-time rival in the Likud party, citing a lack of mutual trust, reports The Times of Israel. He will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Minister without Portfolio Gideon Sa'ar will replace Katz as Foreign Minister.
“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the war there was trust between us and very productive work was being done, in recent months this trust between me and the Minister of Defense has cracked,” Netanyahu said. According to him, they disagreed on military decisions, with Galant making decisions and statements that contradicted the cabinet's decisions.
“I made many attempts to resolve these differences, but they became wider. They also became known to the public in an unacceptable manner, and worse, they became known to our enemies—our enemies enjoyed this and derived considerable benefit from it,” Netanyahu said, adding that most government members agree with him.
Galant's dismissal will take effect in 48 hours. “Ensuring the security of the State of Israel has been and will always remain the task of my entire life,” Galant said.
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