Report: Gallant May Issue Apology to Netanyahu Before Sunday

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is expected to issue an apology to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu within the coming days, following his firing by the prime minister for speaking in favor of halting judicial reform legislation, Maariv reported.

It isn’t yet clear how Gallant will inform the public, possibly through a statement or speech.

It is possible that Gallant’s apology, and therefore a resolution to the crisis his firing sparked, could come before Sunday.

Netanyahu this past Sunday announced he was firing Gallant, stating lost his trust in the defense minister after he “went behind the government’s back” on Motzoei Shabbos when calling to halt the judicial reform.

The announcement sparked widespread protests as hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets nationwide to speak out against judicial reform and Netanyahu’s decision. This ultimately led Netanyahu to announce a halt to the legislation.

As of Friday, a new defense minister has not been appointed and Gallant is still in the position, though a number of names have been discussed as his potential replacement.

However, officials in both Israel and the U.S., including MKs such as former Defense Minister Benny Ganz and Shas leader Rabbi Arye Deri, have been calling on Netanyahu to keep Gallant as defense minister, though this hinges on Gallant apologizing.