Israel’s newly appointed defense minister, Israel Katz, was officially sworn in before parliament following the unexpected dismissal of his predecessor by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to a loss of trust amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu removed Yoav Gallant from his position on Tuesday after ongoing disagreements regarding Israel’s military response to Hamas, which escalated after the deadly assault on Israel by the Palestinian militant group on October 7 of last year.
Prior to stepping in for Mr. Gallant, Mr. Katz, who has pledged to overcome Israel’s enemies, served as the foreign minister, with Gideon Saar now taking over that role.
Mr. Katz’s final day as foreign minister was overshadowed by a diplomatic incident involving France, where Israeli police entered a French-owned church compound in Jerusalem and temporarily detained two gendarmes.
While speaking alongside Mr. Katz, Mr. Barrot stated that “Israel has the right to defend itself,” but highlighted “colonisation,” “restrictions on humanitarian aid,” and “the continuation of air strikes in north Gaza” as factors that could jeopardize Israel’s security.
Opposition leaders from various political factions in Israel criticized Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss the defense minister during wartime, and thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest.
Mr. Gallant and Mr. Netanyahu had significant disagreements concerning military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.
The dismissed minister had been a strong proponent for calling up ultra-Orthodox Jews for military service, whereas Mr. Netanyahu preferred to maintain their exemptions, concerned that conscription could destabilize his far-right coalition government.
