Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant launched a blistering public attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of lying to the public and deliberately distorting the narrative surrounding the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, to shield himself from responsibility.

In an interview with Channel 12, Gallant repeatedly described Netanyahu as dishonest and self-serving, saying the prime minister had “engineered” a false version of events in the aftermath of Israel’s worst security failure in decades.

“I did not think I would have to come here and say, ‘We have a liar for prime minister,’” Gallant said. “The prime minister is a liar.”

“After the huge failure on Oct. 7, when the IDF and Shin Bet were courageously fighting back, Netanyahu stabbed them in the back,” Gallant said. “He stirred up government ministers against them and presented it all to the public.”

The former defense minister, who was dismissed from his post in late 2024, accused Netanyahu of falsely portraying senior military leaders as hesitant and indecisive, particularly over the delayed ground operation in Rafah in early 2024. According to Gallant, the delay had nothing to do with fear or reluctance, but rather with logistical realities.

“The real reason was ammunition,” he said, arguing that supplies had been diverted in preparation for a possible northern front and were still being replenished — a fact he said Netanyahu fully understood at the time.

“Netanyahu’s first priority is himself,” Gallant said. “Then his government. Then the country.”

Gallant also accused the prime minister of selectively claiming credit for military successes while shifting blame for failures onto others.

“He takes credit when things succeed,” Gallant said. “When they don’t, it’s someone else’s responsibility.”

Gallant’s remarks come days after Netanyahu released his full 55-page response to the state comptroller’s investigation into the October 7 attack, an unprecedented move widely seen as an attempt to preempt criticism.

The document included selective excerpts from cabinet discussions in the months before the assault, including a September 12, 2023 meeting in which Gallant was quoted as calling the Gaza situation “stable” and urging restraint.
Gallant said the release amounted to political manipulation.

“This is engineering the narrative,” he charged. “Taking fragments of discussions, sentences from across long periods, stitching them together and turning them into a news item.”

Rather than presenting a full and accurate account, Gallant said, Netanyahu had constructed a misleading version of events.

“He doesn’t tell the truth,” Gallant said. “Not the whole truth. Not even close.”

Gallant also disputed Netanyahu’s claim that Israeli soldiers were killed because of an alleged ammunition “embargo” imposed by the Biden Administration.

“That’s not correct,” Gallant said. “The Americans made things difficult, yes. But it wasn’t an embargo.”

The public feud is the latest chapter in a long and volatile relationship between the two men.
Netanyahu first fired Gallant in March 2023 after Gallant warned that the government’s judicial overhaul plans were endangering national security. The move sparked mass protests and was quickly reversed. Netanyahu dismissed him again in late 2024, this time permanently.

Gallant resigned from the Knesset in January 2025 and has since become one of Netanyahu’s most outspoken internal critics. The ruling Likud party has since initiated proceedings to expel Gallant from its ranks.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)