Netanyahu’s plans to sack defense minister draws fire in Israel

JERUSALEM

Israeli opposition leaders warned Tuesday of grave consequences from plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sack his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Israeli media reports emerged on Monday of Netanyahu nearing to replace Gallant with Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the right-wing New Hope Party, as defense minister.

Disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant have surfaced over the government's approach to the growing border escalation with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as Gallant advocates exhausting diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, while Netanyahu is pushing for a large-scale military campaign.

Former War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz called Netanyahu’s plans to sack the defense minister “security recklessness.”

“What Netanyahu is doing at the moment endangers Israel’s security in the most tangible way that I can remember having been done by a prime minister during a war — and in general,” Gantz, a former defense minister and leader of National Unity Party, said in remarks at a conference.

He said changing the defense minister before a planned military campaign against Hezbollah and amid protests over the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews bears grave consequences.

"Human lives and the future of the nation are at stake," he warned.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak called Netanyahu's plans to replace Gallant with Sa'ar an attempt to continue the Gaza war.

"The one responsible for the failure is not the one who will fix it, and keeping the steering wheel in his hands is a recipe for an unprecedented national disaster," he added in an article on the website of Israeli Channel 12.

The Times of Israel news portal, citing an Israeli official, said there had been "progress on talks" between Netanyahu and Sa'ar on joining the government.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara