A US official expressed concern on Tuesday following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The surprising decision to fire Defense Minister Gallant is concerning, especially in the middle of two wars and as Israel prepares to defend against a potential attack from Iran. We have real questions about the reasons for Gallant’s firing and about what is driving the decision,” the official told Kan 11 News.
Earlier, Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder described Gallant as a "trusted partner," and added the Pentagon will continue to work closely with Israel's next defense minister, Israel Katz.
"America's commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad and the US Department of Defense will continue to work closely with Israel’s next Minister of Defense," stressed Ryder.
Netanyahu explained earlier that his decision to dismiss Gallant was the result of a crisis of trust and significant differences between the two in the management of the war. "My highest commitment as Prime Minister of Israel is to maintain Israel's security and bring us to a complete victory."
"Significant gaps were discovered between myself and Gallant in the management of the campaign, and these gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradicted the decisions of the government and the cabinet. I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider. They also came to the public's attention in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies took pleasure in this and derived a lot of benefit from it," he said.
Netanyahu stated that he is in favor of differences of opinion and debate, "But the crisis of trust that gradually opened up between myself and the Minister of Defense has become public, and this crisis does not allow for the proper continuation of the management of the campaign. I'm not the only one who says this, most of the members of the government and most of the members of the cabinet, almost all of them share this feeling that this cannot continue."
"In light of this," he said, "I decided today to end the term of office of the Minister of Defense. In his place, I have decided to appoint Minister Israel Katz. Israel Katz has already proven his abilities and his contribution to national security as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Minister of Finance, and as Minister of Intelligence for five years, and no less important than that, as a member of the political and security cabinet for many years."
Gallant later delivered his first statement to the media since Netanyahu announced his dismissal, claiming the dismissal was a result of a dispute over three issues: The haredi draft law, the failure to return the hostages held by Hamas and "the need to learn lessons and find out the truth in a state commission of inquiry.”
President Isaac Herzog spoke out against Gallant’s dismissal, saying, "The last thing the State of Israel needs now is an upheaval and a rift in the middle of the war. The security of the State of Israel must come above all considerations."