Tel Aviv: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to succeed Yoav Gallant as Defense Minister, while Gideon Saar has become the new Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister's office said. The development comes after Netanyahu said earlier this week that he was removing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from his position and replacing him with Israel Katz, citing a "crisis of trust" that "gradually deepened".
Katz, the new Israel Defense Minister, is described as a long-time ally and loyalist of Netanyahu. A member of the PM's ruling Likud Party, in which he was previously President of the party's convention, Katz has held multiple Cabinet roles going back to 2003.
As Foreign Minister, Katz drew international attention for his pointed attacks on world leaders and international organisations that had expressed opposition to Israeli military actions, particularly in Gaza. Last month, Katz triggered outrage when he declared UN Chief Antonio Guterres "persona non-grata in Israel" and wrote in a post on X that he would ban him from entering the country.
Netanyahu said that they disagreed on the management of the war and that Gallant made decisions and statements that contradict Cabinet decisions. He also accused Gallant of indirectly aiding Israel's enemies. "I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider," he said.
Following his firing by Netanyahu in favor of Katz, Gallant issued a terse statement, saying that "the security of the State of Israel always was, and will always remain my life's mission". He publicly accused Netanyahu of involving political considerations in his decision-making, while Netanyahu accused Gallant of attempting to topple the government from within.
