The confrontation between Gallant and Smotrich: Last night (Wednesday) it was reported that Netanyahu decided that the responsibility for the Civil Administration in the Jewish state would pass to Smotrich, contrary to the position of Defense Minister Galant. Now Netanyahu is trying to bring about a quick solution to the issue without it becoming another storm, and for this purpose he recruited Minister Yariv Levin and the head of the to Tzachi Hangabi and ordered them to resolve the conflict between Ministers Smotrich and Galant.
As I recall, in the coalition agreements it was determined that the responsibility for these issues would be transferred to the Minister of Finance who also functions as a Minister in the Ministry of Defense, but since the formation of the government, Minister of Defense Galant has steadfastly refused to transfer the powers to Smotrich, claiming that the security establishment has one person in charge.
Levin and Negbi will mediate between the two
Now Levin and Negbi will have to find a solution that will end the crisis. It should be noted that Levin supports the Prime Minister’s position that civil responsibility in the Yosh should be transferred to the Minister of Finance, since he was the Likud’s representative in the negotiations with Smotrich and signed the agreement in front of him. In any case, it seems that Levin and the Negbi will have to find a creative solution in order to convince Minister the security.
Smotrich with Gallant Photo: None
The confrontation between the two, as I remember, comes against the background of the evacuation of the “Or Haim” outpost last Friday, which came after the Minister of Defense canceled Smotrich’s demand to wait for the evacuation and sent the Civil Administration forces to evacuate the outpost, which led to a serious crisis. The evacuation of the two was one of the things that made Netanyahu realize that he must resolve the two-year crisis as quickly as possible.
The discussion at the Ministry of Defense as reported in “Kan 11”:
In “Kan 11” it was announced last night that as part of Netanyahu’s decision that the powers would pass into the hands of Smotrich, a joint discussion was held by all parties. The discussion at the Ministry of Defense in which Netanyahu, Gallant, Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and senior officers participated – was stormy.
- Gallant: “I am the Minister of Defense, there are not two commanders in the army.”
- Smotrich and Levin: “These are signed coalition agreements”.
- Gallant: “You played for two months in front of an empty goal, they didn’t ask me.”
- Netanyahu: “There is logic in Smotrich’s explanation.”
- Senior officers: “The decisions of the Civil Administration have security implications, they should remain under the authority of the Minister of Defense”
- Smotrich and Levin: “The measure will serve the settlement, and will not harm security. We are talking about crossings, roads, agriculture, there is no reason for the army to manage these decisions.”
- Gallant: “I object. It won’t happen to me.”
Smotrich’s proposal
According to the report, in the conversation Smotrich presented the outline agreed upon in the coalition agreements and proposed that the civil authorities, i.e. the Civil Administration headed by Brigadier General Fars Atila, would be under his responsibility. On the other hand, the military authorities would remain with the coordinator of government operations in Judea and Samaria, Major General Hassan Aliyan , and the matters of illegal construction by Jews and Palestinians will remain with him as well.