Israeli war cabinet tears at the seams following Iranian strikes

News Desk - The Cradle

The National Security Minister and Defense Minister have clashed on multiple occasions in the past year regarding how to prosecute its war on Gaza and policy toward West Bank settlers  

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on 15 April, after the Israeli army began preparations to dismantle the illegal Gal Yosef outpost in the occupied West Bank.

“Defense Minister Gallant’s decision to evacuate and destroy buildings on the Gal Yosef farm where 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir was murdered, even during the week of shiva [mourning], represents terrible obtuseness, moral confusion, security folly, and a violation of the dignity of the dead,” Ben Gvir said.

“Instead of establishing and approving more farms and expanding Jewish settlement, we surrender to the enemy,” the far-right minister said, declaring that “the time has come for the prime minister to consider replacing Minister Gallant.”

The dispute between Ben Gvir and Gallant, both members of Israel's war cabinet, comes amid efforts to plan a response to Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel on Saturday. Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israeli military bases in response to Israel's attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus earlier this month. 

National Security Minister Ben Gvir has called for Defense Minister Gallant to be fired multiple times over the past year for what Ben Gvir views as Gallant's mistakes in prosecuting the war on Gaza and insufficient support for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, including their use of violence against Palestinians.

Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law but remain legal under Israeli law. However, outposts such as Gal Yosef are also illegal under Israeli law. Settlers establish outposts on stolen Palestinian land, hoping the outposts will later be legalized under Israeli law and grow into becoming settlements.

Fourteen-year-old Benjamin Achimeir went missing from the Gal Yosef outpost on Friday. He had been grazing sheep, and the sheep returned to the farm without him, Israeli police said.

The police found his body the next day amid claims Palestinians had killed him.

In response to the boy going missing, Jewish settlers descended on Palestinian villages near the cities of Ramallah and Nablus in the occupied West Bank to terrorize Palestinian residents. Settlers set fire to homes and vehicles and killed 26-year-old Jehad Abu Alia, who was trying to protect his village.