Defense Minister Yoav Gallant kicked off a political storm during a press conference on Wednesday evening, publicly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indecision on the question of who will govern Gaza after Hamas is defeated.The press conference was Gallant’s first in months, and it was the sharpest criticism from a member of Israel’s war cabinet since the war began on October 7. It erupted after months of tension between the two and after reports emerged earlier this week that senior IDF officers believed that the lack of a governing alternative to Hamas had forced the IDF to return and fight in areas that had already been cleared out.Gallant argued that “indecision is, in essence, a decision” that would lead to one of two bad results: Continued Hamas rule, or IDF control over Gaza's civilian population.
“I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza Strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be raised immediately,” Gallant said.He then added, “We must make tough decisions for the future of our country, favoring national priorities above all other possible considerations, even with the possibility of personal or political costs.”
אני לא מוכן להחליף את חמאסטאן בפת״חסטאן pic.twitter.com/gB4HmZZ1BF
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 15, 2024
Smotrich makes demands of Netanyahu
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded that Netanyahu immediately bring forward a decision to bar the Palestinian Authority from entering the Gaza Strip and then “force Gallant to choose between realizing the government’s policy and resigning.”“A government that I belong to will not continue the ‘concept’ [and] will not establish a Palestinian state that will endanger Israel’s existence,” Smotrich stated.Justice Minister Yariv Levin said in a written statement, “The people of Israel are unwilling to be disgraced. The people of Israel are not willing to be led to a process of Oslo 2, which would lead Israel to another disaster [and] will not agree to pass Gaza to control of the terror Palestinian Authority. The people of Israel know that Israel’s safety will be achieved only by determination to win and not by relying on quiet from lowly terrorists and their different organizations.”Other ministers who voiced criticism included National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), National Missions Minister Orit Strock (Religious Zionist Party), and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud).Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz supported Gallant, stating later on Wednesday evening, “The defense minister is speaking the truth – the leadership’s responsibility is to do what is right for the country, at any price.”