Internal Zionist divisions deepen from Palestinian resistance

Following 13 months of deliberate genocide against the Palestinian population of Gaza, in addition to a criminal invasion of Lebanon, there are tensions brewing within the racist, Zionist coalition government of Israel. The coalition government that formed on November 1, 2022, consists of seven Zionist parties, with the Likud Party the most dominant, reactionary and far right organization actively involved.

On Nov. 4, on the eve of the U.S. presidential elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu announced he would replace Gallant with former Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

Netanyahu, Katz and Gallant all belong to the bigoted Likud Party. Despite their political affiliation, there is strong evidence suggesting the termination and transition was a response to growing differences over tactics. In fact, Gallant publicly stated he believes his disagreements with Netanyahu are what led to his dismissal.

For months, Gallant has been urging Netanyahu to negotiate a release of Israeli hostages. He has also been publicly skeptical about defeating Hamas, according to corporate media reports. In the days leading up to his ouster, Gallant was also encouraging a military conscription that would include the ultra-Orthodox community.

Currently, members of the two ultra-Orthodox parties within the Zionist coalition government — United Torah Judaism and Shas — are exempt from being forced to serve in the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). Gallant’s position angered the ultra-Orthodox supporters of Netanyahu, as well as Netanyahu himself.

Netanyahu claims he made his decision over “trust issues,” rather than a difference of strategy. “At the height of a war, complete trust is needed between the prime minister and the defense minister. … In recent months, that trust between me and the defense minister was damaged,” Netanyahu stated in a video, upon giving Gallant the ax. (The Guardian, Nov. 5)

Divisions among Zionist settlers

While many of those close to Netanyahu, such as the rabidly racist Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, praised Gallant’s termination, many Israeli settlers objected to the action.

Several high-ranking Israeli officials used the X social media platform to blast Netanyahu’s decision. Israeli president and centrist-Zionist Isaac Herzog stated that Gallant’s termination was “the last thing Israel needs.” (The Guardian, Nov.5)

Protests broke out in Tel Aviv and occupied Jerusalem following the announcement of the former defense minister’s dismissal. Protesters took to the streets, many clashing with Israeli police, and several people committed civil disobedience. Al Jazeera footage from Nov. 6 shows protesters demonstrating outside of Netanyahu’s residence and storming gates near his home.

Unfortunately, the Israeli demonstrators were mostly one-sided, as they solely focused on releasing Israeli hostages. Their demands ignored the plight of Palestinian prisoners who have been unjustly incarcerated much longer and at a higher rate. Most of the protesters also waved Israeli flags, viewed by the Palestinian community as a symbol of terrorism and genocide.

The rallies against Netanyahu were nonetheless a blow to the Likud-led coalition government. They reflect the growing discontent being expressed by occupier residents of the settler-colonial state. More than 130 courageous IOF “reservists” signed off on a letter refusing to fight in Gaza and Lebanon. The October 9 letter reads: “For some of us, the red line has already been crossed, and for others, it is rapidly approaching: the day when, with broken hearts, we will stop reporting for service.” (CNN, Oct. 25).

No ideological difference between Netanyahu, Gallant

Whether Netanyahu fired Gallant because of trust issues or a difference in tactics is irrelevant to the fact that they both espouse the same anti-Arab racism and are complicit with genocide. Netanyahu and Gallant mutually want the Zionist state to have indefinite power over the Palestinian people.

Netanyahu and Gallant united with one another immediately after the October 7, 2023, al-Aqsa Flood uprising. On October 9, 2023, Gallant ordered a complete military siege of the Gaza Strip. That day Gallant infamously said: “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.” (Business Insider, Oct. 9, 2023)

Gallant made other dangerous threats that month. “The camouflage of the terrorists is the civilian population,” Gallant said in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on October 10, 2023. (Colorado Newsline, Oct. 14, 2023)

Since then divisions have developed. There is a faction of the Zionist coalition government that wants to intentionally destroy as much of the Gazan population as possible, and there is another faction that is cautious about that open approach. Their caution stems from doubt rather than humanitarian concern. Netanyahu represents the former faction, and Gallant currently signifies the latter. Both factions are feeling pressure from the growing Palestinian resistance. Pressure is being mounted not only in the occupied territories but from around the globe as well.

It is our duty as Marxist-Leninists in the U.S. to express solidarity with oppressed peoples around the world, especially when they live under the boot of imperialist puppet regimes. Divisions among our class enemies are to their detriment and to our benefit as workers. When imperialist puppets face defeat — regardless of how big or small — that is also a loss for the U.S. ruling class and a gain for all working-class and oppressed people.

Free Palestine — from the river to the sea!