Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
When Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, after months of public disagreements, he ousted the US’s most trusted interlocutor in Israel’s war cabinet and the only person among that leadership cadre willing to stand up to him on the security failures of October 7 and the way the wars in Gaza and Lebanon are being waged.
Yair Lapid, the head of Israel’s main opposition party, called the move an “act of madness”. So why now? First, on election night, the Biden administration had other things to worry about.
But there were also domestic pressures: in his role as defence minister, Gallant’s insistence on drafting ultra-Orthodox youth into the army risked jeopardising the support of Netanyahu’s far-right religious ministers who are key to maintaining his coalition.
Crucially, two other scandals were also encircling the prime minister this week.
- First, Israel’s army, police, and internal security service (the Shin Bet) are investigating major intelligence leaks involving a close Netanyahu aide, which critics claim was intended to scupper a hostage deal.
- Second, Israel’s attorney general and police are separately investigating the apparent falsification, by an official close to Netanyahu, of formal minutes taken during cabinet meetings in the early weeks of the war.
Gallant may not be the only one to go: sources close to the prime minister told Israeli media on Tuesday that plans were in motion to fire the head of the Shin Bet and army chief along with the attorney general, which would give Netanyahu the chance to cherry-pick those who hold the highest offices in the country. In the background, his government continues to push through parliament a “judicial overhaul” that would quash the power of the Supreme Court and, with it, the final check on his absolute authority.
Like Trump, Netanyahu is managing to hold onto power despite years of legal cases hanging over him. Since 2020, he’s been on trial for a litany of corruption allegations, after a court indicted him on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He was also investigated by the Shin Bet for removing classified documents from his office after the end of his first term as prime minister in 1999, while in 2021 he reportedly shredded official documents at the end of his tenure.
Whether Netanyahu joins Trump in the category of convicted felons in office will depend on his ability to fend off criminal charges. The responsibilities of war have been a powerful justification to delay proceedings, and an election is not due until October 2026.
“This is a huge victory,” Netanyahu wrote to Trump yesterday morning as the US election results became clear. A huge victory indeed.
