&nbsp;
Political compulsions make the strongest political leaders weak. Tested as they are, time and time again, it&rsquo;s not unheard of for a leader to sacrifice their best colleagues, team mates or even cabinet members whether it&rsquo;s in the name of political survival or national interest. Pawns are the first to go in any game of chess&mdash;it&rsquo;s just &ldquo;collateral damage&rdquo;. 
While only Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and now-former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant can say for sure what was brewing within Isarel&rsquo;s government, Tuesday&rsquo;s move has shocked not just his compatriots and his nation&rsquo;s armed forces, but also friends of war-torn country, like the US.
It has also provided Netanyahu&rsquo;s detractors within Israel ammunition to target him further. 
Did Netanyahu&rsquo;s decision to give Gallant the boot really stem from his loss of trust in Gallant? Or was it caused by Netanyahu&rsquo;s inability to take criticism? 
Gallant has long been a vocal critic of both Netanyahu and his government, and has constantly called for an inquiry into the government&rsquo;s failure to protect Israel and Israelis from the Hamas air strike on October 7, 2023. As Gallant put it, Netanyahu was &ldquo;more concerned about the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi Jews) and their demand for exemption from military conscription&rdquo; &mdash; crucial to ensure his government&rsquo;s survival. 
Gallant&rsquo;s statement following his dismissal touched on three issues:
1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Netanyahu&rsquo;s promise to introduce a draft bill to allow Haredi men exemption from Israel&rsquo;s military conscription laws
2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A fair inquiry into the failure of the government, its armed forces and spy agencies, against the land and air strikes by Hamas October 07, 2023, and 
3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gallant&rsquo;s own advocacy for a ceasefire with Hamas and Hezbollah, and negotiations for the return of Israeli hostages, who, according to some reports, number as many as 100. 
Media reports from the area suggest that Netanyahu and Gallant did not see eye to eye on any of these issues. For one, the Netanyahu government relies heavily on support from the ultra-Orthodox, and the National Unity Party for its survival. He will also need the support of these two groups, as well as the United Torah Judaism Party, if he is to push through his proposed exemptions to Israel&rsquo;s mandatory military conscription laws, when it goes to a vote in Knesset. 
Gallant&rsquo;s calls for a ceasefire aligned with that of Joe Biden&rsquo;s White House, at a time when hardliners have threatened to bring down the Israeli government if Netanyahu agrees to a ceasefire with either Hamas or Hezbollah. 
The US, no doubt, was well aware that stuck between a rock and a hard place, Netanyahu was less likely to sacrifice his government than give up on peace talks. This has led to another, slightly more sinister, theory: That Gallant&rsquo;s ouster is Netanyahu&rsquo;s pre-emptive counter to any attempts by the White House and/or the Pentagon to force a change in leadership in Israel.
There are murmurs that Netanyahu was also confident of Donald Trump&rsquo;s return to the White House &mdash; a return expected to relieve global pressure on Israel on the issue of peace talks. 
From this perspective, Gallant&rsquo;s exit appears to be a calculated risk: Netanyahu seems to have decided that cutting ties with his former defence minister was worth the hassle of facing protests at home. In fact, pro-government news channels were quick to report the &ldquo;containment&rdquo; of protests that broke out in the aftermath of the Knesset&rsquo;s announcement. &nbsp;
The protests that followed Gallant&rsquo;s expulsion also served to distract the public from a massive security leak in the Prime Minister&rsquo;s office &mdash; one that saw sensitive information fall into enemy hands. 
Irrespective of its cause, Gallant&rsquo;s exit almost ensures that ultra-Orthodox Haredi men cannot be conscripted. It also minimizes the chance of a ceasefire, and the return of Israeli hostages. 
The question of whether the crisis in the Middle East will escalate remains open-ended. Iran has not reacted to Israel&rsquo;s airstrike yet, but will no doubt want to &ldquo;set an example&rdquo;. America, while publicly calling for a de-escalation, is also talking of &ldquo;standing, protecting, defending&rdquo; and even funding and providing arms to Israel. 
But one thing is clear:&nbsp; If the conflict goes on much longer, and if Isreal manages to successfully neutralize the threats from Palestine and Lebanon&mdash;Hamas and Hezbollah, respectively&mdash;Netanyahu will be the hero of this story.

Is Netanyahu govt not keen on peace talks with Hamas and Hezbollah?

Did Israel PM Netanyahu sacrifice Gallant to survive politically?

Is Netanyahu govt not keen on peace talks with Hamas and Hezbollah?

November 7, 2024 | 17:13 IST