Meet Israel Katz - Gallant's Replacement as Israel's Defense Minister
Israel Katz, currently serving as Foreign Minister, will assume the role of Defence Minister, while Gideon Saar will replace him as Foreign Minister
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in what he described as a “crisis of trust”, and appointed Israel Katz instead amid outrage inside the occupation state and increasing involvement in war crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.
Israel Katz, currently serving as Foreign Minister, will assume the role of Defence Minister, while Gideon Saar will replace him as Foreign Minister.
Who is Katz?
- Katz was drafted into the military in 1973 and served as a paratrooper, leaving the service in 1977. He has not served in any senior military command position, unlike his predecessor Gallant, who had been a general before becoming defense minister in 2022.
- Katz, a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, has been a member of the Knesset since 1998. In the Knesset, he served on several committees including those covering foreign affairs, defense and justice.
- He has held several ministerial posts in the past two decades, including agriculture, transport, intelligence, finance and energy portfolios. He was appointed foreign minister in 2019.
- Katz, labeled by Israeli media as a “bulldozer” for his harsh style, is considered both close and loyal to Netanyahu.
Katz as Foreign Minister
- During his post as foreign minister, Katz attacked world leaders and international organizations that opposed Israeli military actions, particularly in Gaza genocide war.
- In October, he declared Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” over what he claimed was the U.N. secretary-general’s failure to “unequivocally” condemn Iran’s missile strikes on Israel and barred him from entering Israel.
- Also in October, he ordered his ministry to start legal proceedings against French President Emmanuel Macron after Paris banned Israeli firms from participating in an upcoming military naval trade show.
- After President Donald Trump recognizd Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, Katz, then serving as a minister of transportation and intelligence, petitioned to name a train station after the American leader, “for his courageous and historic decision.”
- He was responsible for spearheading a diplomatic battle against the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which Israel’s parliament in October banned from working in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem.
- In November, he instructed his ministry to formally notify the United Nations that Israel was canceling its agreements with UNRWA.
- In 2011, he called for cutting off relations with the Palestinian Authority. More recently, he promised to “break and dissolve” the PA if the UN moved forwards with resolutions against Israel.
- In August, he called for the eviction of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, saying, “We need to address the [terror] threat exactly as we deal with terror infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians and any other step needed.”
- He has used the threat of another Nakba against the Palestinians as well. In 2022, addressing the Knesset, Katz said, “Yesterday I warned the Arab students, who are flying Palestine flags at universities: Remember 48. Remember our independence war and your Nakba, don’t stretch the rope too much. […] If you don’t calm down, we’ll teach you a lesson that won’t be forgotten.”
Katz’s Genocidal Statements
Israel Katz has made a series of genocidal remarks against the native Palestinian people. In his statements, Katz has been explicit in his intent to withhold basic necessities from Gaza’s civilian population.
In one statement, he insisted that people in Gaza would be denied essential supplies like water and electricity until Israeli prisoners, bluntly dismissing any international calls for humanitarian aid:
“A watershed will not be opened until the abductees are returned home. That no one will preach to us.”
Katz’s rhetoric has further escalated with outright calls for depopulation. He called for the expulsion of the entire civilian population of Gaza, stating:
“All the civilian population in Gaza is ordered to leave immediately. We will win. They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world.”
Additionally, Katz has extended this punitive vision to the West Bank, suggesting the Jenin refugee camp should face the same treatment as Gaza, which is being subjected to genocide.
He stated:
“The Jenin refugee camp must be evacuated of its citizens, and it must be handled similarly to the Gaza Strip.”
This remark underscores his broader vision of forced displacement for Palestinians, a position that aligns with genocidal language.
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