Following reports that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) is planning to remove Yoav Gallant (Likud) from the defense ministry, a senior United States diplomat told Israel’s Channel 12 that the White House is furious over the expected firing.
“Replacing a defense minister during a war for political reasons is an act of madness, especially when it’s a defense minister with military experience,” the diplomat said.
Another US official, meanwhile, told Axios that the Israeli prime minister “would be crazy” to replace “an experienced minister of defense like Gallant amid a war in Gaza and as Israel might be heading towards a possible all out war in Lebanon.”
But “Prisoner of Zion” Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in prison for what could be understood as thwarting US plots against Israel, responded to the news of American efforts to keep Gallant in his position by emphasizing the contradiction between US and Israeli interests, going so far as to call Gallant a “puppet” and highlight the importance of placing a trustworthy leader in the defense ministry.
“Whether or not to replace their puppet with someone we can trust to safeguard our interests is none of their bloody business,” Pollard said.
Gallant has enjoyed a close relationship with US President Joe Biden’s administration since he threatened to break coalition discipline in 2023 by voting against the Netanyahu government’s contentious judicial reform legislation in the face of mass protests believed to be financed and organized by Washington.
Since the war that began following Hamas’s frightful Simḥat Torah attack on October 7, US diplomatic and defense officials have conducted meetings with Gallant and other figures in Israel’s security establishment and opposition that have circumvented the prime minister in violation of accepted diplomatic protocol.
Following the departure of National Unity faction leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot in January, Gallant appears to be the only American puppet remaining among Israel’s current decision makers.
The Biden administration likely views Gallant’s potential firing as a loss of US control over Israel’s wartime policies and another step towards a larger military confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon – something the administration has been pressuring Israel to refrain from until after the US presidential elections in November.
The administration’s concern was likely intensified following a recent Netanyahu government announcement that the return of displaced Israelis from the north back to their homes has officially been added as a goal for the ongoing war. Without Gallant in the defense ministry, the Americans will most certainly lose their control over how Israel conducts this war.
The very fact that Washington is so concerned about Gallant’s potential departure from the defense ministry should be reason enough for Prime Minister Netanyahu to fire him.
