Former DM Gallant resigns from Knesset, excoriates gov’t over planned IDF draft bill

Yoav Gallant, who was removed from his post as Defense Minister some two months ago, resigned from his post as a Member of Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Wednesday.

In a short video statement, Gallant asserted he would stay in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, ending rumors that he intends to join another party and run against Netanyahu in the coming elections.

Nevertheless, he sharply criticized the government for endangering Israel’s security by advancing a bill he claimed “is intended to grant exemption from military service to most young people in the ultra-Orthodox sector.”

“In the last two months since I was removed from the position of Minister of Defense, something has happened – the Israeli government, led by the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, is accelerating a conscription law that is contrary to the needs of the IDF and the security of the State of Israel,” Gallant said.

מסרתי לפני זמן קצר ליו״ר הכנסת את מכתב ההתפטרות מהכנסת, אני עושה זאת בחלוף 45 שנים של שליחות ושירות למען מדינת ישראל.

כמו בשדה הקרב, כך גם בשירות הציבורי - יש רגעים בהם צריך לעצור, לקיים הערכת מצב, ולבחור את כיוון הפעולה על מנת להגיע למטרות הנדרשות.

זוהי תחנה במסע ארוך יותר,אשר… pic.twitter.com/q8Eku83nfr

— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) January 1, 2025

“The bill is intended to grant exemption from military service to most young people in the ultra-Orthodox sector. I cannot accept that and I cannot be a party to it,” he said, claiming his opposition to the bill was the reason for his removal.

Gallant noted that he was resigning from public service “after 45 years of mission and service to the State of Israel. As on the battlefield, so too in public service – there are moments when you need to stop, assess the situation, and choose the course of action in order to achieve the required goals.”

However, he also said “his journey” wasn’t complete, asserting that “the Likud path is my path. I believe in the principles of the movement and trust its members and voters. As a member of the Likud movement, I will continue and fight – for its national, ideological and Zionist path,” opening the door for a potential challenge for the Likud leadership in the future.

Gallant’s resignation is expected to make the passing of the IDF draft bill easier, since he was among the main voices in the coalition opposing the bill.

Druze politician Abed Afif, who placed 44th on the Likud list, is expected to fill Gallant’s vacant spot, becoming the only Druze MK in the coalition.

Gallant's resignation garnered mixed responses. Coalition members, including his successor Israel Katz, criticized Gallant.

Katz accused him of “cynical political use of a moral issue like conscription into the IDF,” adding that the law would bring about “recruitment of tens of thousands of additional ultra-Orthodox members for significant service in the IDF for the first time.”

Likud MK Moshe Sa’ada said Gallant was removed because he was a “weak” defense minister, undermined Netanyahu by conducting an independent policy together with the Biden administration, and served as a rubber stamp for the army.

“All the other arguments you made tonight are nothing more than the opening of your campaign to lead the left bloc in the next elections. Good luck in your fight against Lapid, Gantz and Bennett,” Sa’ada added.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Gallant was fired so that Netanyahu's government would be able to “pass a disgraceful draft evasion and insubordination law that is a betrayal of our fighters, our dead, and our wounded.”

While opposing the draft bill, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman criticized Gallant for “deserting the battlefield in the midst of the war and giving another voice to supporters of [draft] evasion,” and called him to wait until the bill came up for a vote.

National Unity party chairman, Benny Gantz, also called on Gallant to “show the same courage you have always shown, remain in the Knesset, and act according to the dictates of your conscience. Do not lend a hand to passing the evasion law during wartime.

Despite being relatively popular, Gallant has long been a controversial figure within the coalition and the Likud party, primarily because he was the sole opposing voice on several issues, most notably, the judicial overhaul.

When Gallant was initially fired in March 2023, thousands took to the streets in protest, causing his reinstatement shortly after. Netanyahu fired him a second time in November citing a lack of personal trust between them as the main reason.