Leaders of most of Israel's opposition parties united on Wednesday in their condemnation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ouster of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, amid war and his replacement with a minister lacking security or meaningful military experience.
Ahead of their statements, the leaders of the parties met to discuss the controversial political move. They all alluded to the apparent connection of Gallant's firing to the scandals being investigated in the Prime Minister's Office and their potential to implicate the prime minister in security and or criminal offenses.
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Yair Golan, Avigdor Liberman, Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz
(Photo: Shalev Shalom, Yariv Kat, Oz Avital)
Two matters were under investigation. One relating to serious security breaches, which is being probed by the Shin Bet and another being investigated by the police, is a criminal matter. Both are under gag orders issued by the courts.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid was the first to make a statement. He said the ousting of the defense minister was an act of madness by a prime minister who is unfit to rule. "In the midst of war, while Israel is fighting on seven fronts, Netanyahu is weakening the IDF and the fighting forces only to pass a draft dodging bill," referring to legislation that Netanyahu is advancing to exempt Haredi men from military service after his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners threatened to bring down the government.
"Don't let his lies fool you," Lapid said. "Gallant was not fired over professional differences. Just last week, Netanyahu stood at the Knesset podium and talked about the assassination of [Hassan] Nasrallah, [Ismail] Haniyeh, [Mohammed] Deif and [Yahya] Sinwar and then he sacked his defense minister, who brought him all those achievements."
Lapid said Gallant was sacked only for political reasons and that Netanyahu chose draft dodgers over those who serve. "What happened yesterday was not normal and illogical. Every Hebrew mother must know she has no one to rely on. She cannot rely on the prime minister or his cabinet. The only one she could trust, was fired. Netanyahu is unfit, he cannot lead Israel in times of war. He cannot be trusted by the troops. He had a choice and chose a disgrace."
Benny Gantz who was a defense minister in a previous Netanyahu government said Israel has already seen what its enemies do when Israelis are torn apart from within. "What are they troops fighting in Lebanon today, to think when their defense minister is fired, soon after he issues draft notices to 7,000 Haredi men?" he asked. He said Israel must not be in the position it was last October, before the Hamas massacre. "We don't have that privilege in the Middle East." Gantz said Netanyahu has hurt Israel's security and its people's spirit but it will not break it.
Avigdor Liberman who also once served as Netanyahu's defense minister said the only place celebrating Netanyahu's political ousting of Gallant was Iran. "Anyone following Iranian media, and there are many in Israel who do, saw the celebrations and enthusiasm."
Liberman warned that Netanyahu will next move to remove the chair of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Yuli Edelstein who also put obstacles in the path of legislation allowing the Haredi men to dodge the draft. "I expect that will happen in the coming days and then he will go after the Attorney General."
Protesters block roads after Gallant's ouster on Tuesday
(Video: Nahum Segal)
He then appealed directly to members of Netanyahu's ruling Likud party and urged them to oppose the prime minister's legislation and his new pick for defense minister.
Last to speak was Yair Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff and head of the left-wing labor alliance. "In my 38 years of military service, I never thought I would see a prime minister knowingly harm Israel's security. There has never been such a wide gap between the troops who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country and the leader whose heart is cold to bereavement," he said.
"He has never known what it was like to escape sleep because his son is on the frontlines, he does not bow his head in the face of hundreds who were murdered on his watch, he chooses his own interests before those of the citizens of Israel," Golan said. "We have an illegitimate government and prime minister," he said, calling on the public to come out and bring the country to a standstill in protest.
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