Netanyahu accuses defense minister of adopting “anti-Israel narrative”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday (12) and accused him of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative.”

The clash revealed a deep rift at the top of the Israeli government as the conflict in the Middle East risks escalating into a full-scale conflict.

Israeli media reported this week that Gallant, speaking to lawmakers at a private security briefing, had dismissed Netanyahu’s war goal of achieving “absolute victory” over Hamas as “absurd,” labeling those who say it is possible as “heroes with war drums.”

Netanyahu’s office responded by saying Gallant’s comments jeopardized negotiations to free hostages held in Gaza.

“When Gallant adopts the anti-Israel narrative, he undermines the chances of reaching a hostage agreement,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

He said Gallant was obligated to pursue Israel’s war goals in Gaza: eliminating Hamas and the release of hostages captured by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks.

The exchange of barbs is the latest in a series of spats between the two men during more than 10 months of war, and comes as Israel braces for a possible attack from Iran and Hezbollah.

This prompted the United States to bolster Israel’s defenses by sending a guided missile submarine to the region over the weekend.

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to avenge the assassinations last month of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a Tehran blast, and Hezbollah’s top military commander, Fu’ad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb.

Iran has blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, and a source familiar with the matter previously told CNN that Haniyeh was assassinated with an explosive device hidden in the guest house where he was staying.

The death of Haniyeh, who had been a key player in ceasefire negotiations, threatened to derail talks to halt the war in Gaza and escalate the conflict, with Iran warning that “blood revenge” for the killing was “certain”.

Hezbollah also vowed that Shukr’s blood “will not have been shed in vain” and threatened to retaliate, forcing Israel to face the prospect of a multi-front war.

Critics have accused Netanyahu of being more interested in defeating Hamas and preserving his government than returning the hostages. Far-right members of his coalition have threatened to topple the government if a deal is reached.

There is growing frustration in the international community with some of these far-right ministers, as Western leaders push for a deal.

On Monday (12), the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told CNN who would present a proposal to the EU to sanction far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

Borrell called for sanctions against Smotrich and Ben Gvir in a post on X, days after Smotrich said it would be “moral” to let two million Gazans starve until Israeli hostages were freed.

“The EU has no taboo in activating its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against any individual involved in serious human rights violations, such as the Hamas operatives and extremist Israeli settlers we have already sanctioned,” Borrell told CNN in a statement on Monday.

“Since last October, statements by Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir inciting hatred and activities related to humanitarian aid clearly fall into this category,” the EU foreign policy chief added.

A group of hostage families on Saturday (10) accused the prime minister of “gambling” with the hostages’ lives to ensure his government survives, according to the Times of Israel.

The US, Egypt and Qatar — key mediators in negotiations between the warring parties — have called on Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table to consider a “final bridge proposal.” Discussions are expected to resume on Thursday (15) in the Egyptian capital Cairo or the Qatari capital Doha.

Disagreements over the war in Gaza

Gallant, who has emerged as a key interlocutor for advisers to US President Joe Biden, has frequently stressed the need for a ceasefire agreement.

He had previously called on Netanyahu to declare that Israel would not establish civilian or military control over Gaza, although the prime minister remained vague about his plans for the “day after” war.

In his leaked comments, Gallant also claimed that he had proposed in October a preemptive strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon, but that Netanyahu had not supported the attack and had missed the opportunity.

“The conditions today for a war in Lebanon are the opposite of what they were at the beginning of the war,” the defense minister reportedly told lawmakers.

Responding to Gallant’s allegations, Netanyahu’s office deflected blame for the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement, saying the minister “should have attacked (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar, who refuses to send a delegation to the negotiations and who was and remains the only obstacle to the hostage deal.”

In a later post on X, a Gallant said he had told the private meeting that he was “determined to achieve the aims of the war and to continue the fight until Hamas is dismantled and the hostages are returned,” and also criticized the leaks of “sensitive and confidential forums.”

He stressed that Israel is facing “challenging days in which we will be forced to stand firm and take powerful offensive and defensive actions.”

Gallant joins a number of senior Israeli officials who have questioned Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas.

In June, the top military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the idea that Israel could “make Hamas disappear” was “pulling the wool over the eyes of the public.”

THE CNN recently reported that nearly half of Hamas’ military battalions in northern and central Gaza have rebuilt some of their combat capabilities despite Israel’s relentless onslaught, according to a joint analysis with the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project and the Institute for the Study of War.