'Moral darkness has fallen on Israel', defence minister declares

'Moral darkness has fallen on Israel', defence minister declares

Outgoing Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu's 'corrupt' policies in an emotional speech Tuesday night after he was sacked over a breakdown in trust during the Gaza war against Hamas.

Addressing the nation just hours after his dismissal, Gallant suggested that a 'moral darkness' had fallen on the prime minister and claimed that his removal was due to disagreements over contentious issues faced by Israel's government.

This, he said, included disagreements over a new hostage deal and a 'corrupt' bill to exempt Orthodox Jews from completing IDF military service.

Referring to the hostage deal, Gallant said that Israel would have to make 'some painful compromises' in order to return the remaining hostages to their families and called on the government to bring home hostages while they are 'still alive'.

'The State of Israel will know how to withstand these compromises, and the IDF will know how to secure them', he said, stressing its 'moral and ethical commitment to bringing back our sons and daughters'.

He also noted how the IDF military service exemption was 'discriminatory' as Israelis will have to deal with several security challenges in the years to come.

'Everyone must serve in the IDF and participate together in the mission of defending the State of Israel,' he said.

'We must not allow a corrupt and flawed law to pass in the Knesset (Israel's parliament) that would exempt tens of thousands of citizens from bearing the burden.'

Gallant was referring to members of the ultra-Orthodox community who were historically exempted from mandatory service until a Supreme Court decision in June.

The decision to oust Gallant came amid controversy over the decision to draft 7,000 more ultra-orthodox Haredi Jews into the military.

The order came after a first round of 3,000 draft orders were sent out in July, sparking protests from the ultra-Orthodox community.

Gallant also cited Netanyahu's unwillingness to form a National Commission of Inquiry for October 7, which the outgoing minister said was necessary for the truth to 'see the light of day'.

Netanyahu fired Gallant yesterday night, stating that 'over the past few months [trust] has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defence minister'.

Gallant, who only returned to the post in April after being sacked last March, will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the office reported.

Hundreds took to the streets to protest in a march through Tel Aviv as news broke of the decision.

The mother of a hostage said: 'Gallant's dismissal sends a clear message - there is no one left to prevent the foiling of hostage deal; it's time to take to the streets.'

Netanyahu posted on social media after issuing the pithy statement, writing on Twitter/X: 'We must all stand strong against refusal.'

Netanyahu said in his video statement that in spite of 'fruitful work' with Gallant at the beginning of the war in Gaza, trust had 'cracked' in recent months.

'I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider,' he continued.

'They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy — our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it.'

Minister without Portfolio Gideon Sa'ar will replace Katz as Foreign Minister.

Gallant had also voiced concerns that divisions within society were hurting morale in the military and empowering Israel's adversaries.

'I see how the source of our strength is being eroded,' he said last Saturday.

Netanyahu insisted in his announcement that most politicians agreed with him on the decision to sack Gallant, opposing the conscription order.

He did not give a specific reason why trust had broken down.

But National Unity lawmaker Orit Farkash Hacohen said of the decision to sack Gallant: 'There is no low to which this government will not sink.

'A Defense Minister who announces conscription orders for thousands of Haredim is fired in the middle of a war on the eve of an [expected Iranian] attack for the sake of the evasion law.'

National Unity chair Benny Gantz, formerly of Netanyahu's war cabinet, posted: 'Politics at the expense of national security.'

Gantz announced he was resigning his post over frustrations surrounding Netanyahu's handling of the war in June.

Yair Golan, leader of The Democrats party, called on the public to 'hit the streets' and strike in light of the decision.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir supported Netanyahu's decision.

'I congratulate the prime minister on the decision to dismiss Gallant. With Gallant, who is still deeply trapped in his own conception, it is impossible to achieve a complete victory.'

The United States meanwhile praised Gallant as an 'important partner'.

'Minister Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to the defense of Israel. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel's next minister of defense,' a State Department spokesperson said.

Gallant had clashed with Netanyahu over the future of the war in Gaza in recent months.

In his eyes, Israel should have shifted its focus more squarely to the northern border with Lebanon, where the military launched a major campaign to stop Iran-backed Hezbollah militants from launching cross-border attacks.

While in sync with Gallant on Lebanon, Netanyahu disagreed with him on the future of Gaza, where the fired defence chief thought Israel should be looking for ways to end the war.

Nearly a year into the war in Gaza, Gallant declared that 'the centre of gravity' of Israel's military campaign was 'shifting north' to Lebanon, calling it 'the beginning of a new phase of the war, which requires courage, determination and perseverance'.

Days later, Israel announced ground troops had begun raids against Hezbollah inside Lebanon, after a spate of attacks that had decimated the powerful group's leadership.

'Gallant was one of the first to support the idea that Israel needed to take the initiative in the north, just days after the October 7 attacks,' said Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical expert at the Middle East-based security consultancy Le Beck.

Calev Ben-Dor, a former analyst at Israel's foreign ministry, said the 'reasoning was that in a war, it is preferable to fight the more powerful foe first, and Hezbollah's strength far outweighed Hamas's'.