American officials say the Biden administration is ‘concerned’ by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to replace his defense minister, speculating that the premier used the election as an opportunity to remove a figure considered more moderate by the White House.
By World Israel News Staff
The Biden administration was taken aback by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision Tuesday to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud), leaving top White House officials “concerned.”
Publicly, the U.S. has vowed to work “closely” with Gallant’s replacement.
“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,” said Defense Department spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder.
Privately, however, administration officials were vexed by the sudden announcement.
Multiple American officials spoke with The Times of Israel, telling the media outlet that the U.S. had no foreknowledge of Netanyahu’s plans to replace his defense chief, and that the decision, made in the midst of a major conflict on two fronts and amid concerns of a major Iranian attack, was unnerving for the White House.
Some officials speculated that Netanyahu took advantage of the American election to fire Gallant, who has been perceived by the Biden administration as a moderate voice within the Israeli government and a useful ally.
“We have real questions about the reasons for Gallant’s firing and about what is driving the decision,” one American official was quoted as saying.
“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.”
On Tuesday, Netanyahu announced that he had removed Gallant from his position, saying that during the wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, his trust in his defense chief had “begun to crack.”
“Gallant and I had substantial disagreements on the management of the military campaign, disagreements which were accompanied by public statements and actions that contravened the decisions of the Government and the Security Cabinet,” Netanyahu said.
“I have made multiple attempts to resolve these disagreements, but they became increasingly wider. They were also brought to the knowledge of the public in an inappropriate manner, and what is even worse, they have reached the knowledge of the enemy; our enemies have taken great delight in these disagreements and have derived much benefit from them.”
Netanyahu tapped long-time ally Israel Katz (Likud), who currently serves as Foreign Minister, to replace Gallant, while Minister Without Portfolio Gideon Sa’ar, a former member of the Likud and rival of Netanyahu, is slated to take over as Foreign Minister.
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