In politics, it seems, timing is everything. After months at odds over Israel’s handling of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen the day of one of the most hotly contested U.S. presidential election in modern history to fire his Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant. “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the defense minister,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday, quoted by the Financial Times. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, over the past few months this trust has cracked between me and the defense minister,” he added. The Israeli Prime Minister had previously attempted to fire Gallant in March 2023, just five months into the conflict, but was forced to reverse his decision after the move prompted protests on the streets of Jerusalem. Gallant has not yet publicly commented on his dismissal beyond a short post on social media, in which he said “the security of the State of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life.”
