Tel Aviv, Nov 6 (IANS) Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to succeed Yoav Gallant as Defence Minister, while Gideon Saar becomes the new Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister’s office said on Tuesday in a statement.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu sacked Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Katz, the new Israel Defence Minister, is described as a long-time ally and loyalist of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
A member of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, in which he was previously President of the party’s convention, Katz has held multiple Cabinet roles going back to 2003.
As Foreign Minister, Katz drew international attention for his pointed attacks on world leaders and international organisations that had expressed opposition to Israeli military actions, particularly in Gaza.
He spearheaded a diplomatic battle against the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and last month Israel’s Parliament banned the agency from working in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.
On Monday, Katz instructed his Ministry to formally notify the United Nations that Israel was cancelling its agreements with UNRWA.
Last month, Katz triggered outrage when he declared UN Chief Antonio Guterres “persona non-grata in Israel” and wrote in a post on X that he would ban him from entering the country.
Before serving as Foreign Minister, Katz’s most notable role was as Transport Minister.
He spent a decade in the post from 2009 to 2019 but also held the Energy and Finance portfolios in various Netanyahu Cabinets.
Netanyahu on Tuesday appointed Gideon Saar as the new Foreign Minister of the country after his predecessor Israel Katz took charge as the Defence Minister.
“I spoke today with Minister Gideon Saar and offered him and his faction to join the coalition and take on the position of Foreign Minister,” Netanyahu said in a statement from his office.
Gideon Saar is an Israeli politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for New Hope. He worked as an aide to the Attorney General between 1995 and 1997. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 1999 and again in 2001.
He was first elected to the Knesset as a member of Likud in 2003. Saar served until 2014. During this period he served as Education Minister from 2009 to 2013 and Interior Minister from 2013 to 2014.
In September 2014, Saar resigned from the post. After a hiatus from politics for over two years, Saar announced his return and intention to run in the next Likud primaries. He returned to the Knesset in 2019, and unsuccessfully challenged Netanyahu for the leadership of Likud.
He subsequently formed his party, New Hope, and became Minister of Justice from 2021 to 2022 and Deputy Prime Minister in 2021 in the Thirty-sixth government.
In 2022, Saar formed an electoral pact with Benny Gantz’s Blue and White, named National Unity. As a member of the alliance, he returned to the opposition following the 2022 election. After the breakout of the Israel–Hamas war, National Unity joined the coalition, and Saar was named Minister without portfolio. He was also named as an observer in the Israeli war cabinet.
In March 2024, Saar withdrew New Hope from National Unity, and from the coalition, and resigned as Minister. In September this year, he joined the Israeli Cabinet.
–IANS
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