Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided – the powers over the Civil Administration will pass to Minister Bezalel Smotrich despite the opposition of Defense Minister Yoav Galant. This was revealed this evening (Wednesday) on the evening news at Kaan 11. The struggle for powers in the Ministry of Defense reached a climax in a stormy debate in which Netanyahu, Gallant, Smotrich, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin and other senior officers participated. A source present at the discussion clarified – “It will happen with Galant or without him”.
First publication Netanyahu decided: the powers will be transferred to Smotrich despite Gallant’s opposition. @roysharon11 with the publication and details in#The evening news pic.twitter.com/Iilm5hN9P2
— here news (@kann_news) January 25, 2023
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.”
In the conversation, Smotrich presented the outline that was decided upon in the coalition agreements and suggested that the civil powers be transferred to him. The military powers will remain with the coordinator of government operations in the territories, and matters of illegal construction by Jews and Palestinians will be with him. Since these are actions with security and policy implications, decisions will be made subject to the Prime Minister’s decisions.
The chairman of the state camp, Member of Knesset Benny Gantz, commented on the publication in Kana News and said that “Ben Gurion dismantled the underground and brought all the organizations under the IDF. 75 years later – Netanyahu is dismantling the IDF into pieces due to his political motives while directly undermining the unity of command . Tearing the Civil Administration or MGB from the security system will cause a direct harm to security.”
Last Friday, the security forces finished evacuating the outpost established by Rabbi Druckman’s grandson, Noah Schindler, in Samaria. Gallant ordered the evacuation, even though Smotrich issued an order to the coordinator of government operations in the territories to stop the evacuation and not carry it out until the matter was discussed.
Smotrich said that Gallant did not talk to him and did so “in complete contradiction to the coalition agreements that form the basis of the government’s existence”. The Prime Minister’s Office stated: “The government supports settlement only when it is done legally, which was not done in this case.” Defense Minister Galant spoke with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and gave backing to the IDF and the security forces.