Who Is Israel Katz, Israel’s new defence minister?

EXPLAINER

As Israel wages warfare successful Gaza and Lebanon, Prime Minister Netanyahu has replaced Yoav Gallant with a hardline ally.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defence Minister Yoav Gallant connected Tuesday evening, replacing him with Israel Katz, the 69-year-old chap Likud subordinate who has been overseas affairs curate since 2019.

Katz is seen arsenic a Netanyahu state who volition beryllium much subservient, dissimilar Gallant whose narration with the longtime person became progressively adversarial arsenic the wars successful Gaza and Lebanon carried on.

“We volition enactment unneurotic to pb the defence constitution to triumph implicit our enemies and to execute the goals of the war: the instrumentality of each hostages arsenic the astir important motivation mission, the demolition of Hamas successful Gaza, the decision of Hezbollah successful Lebanon, the containment of Iranian aggression, and the harmless instrumentality of the residents of the northbound and southbound to their homes,” Katz said successful a connection aft his appointment.

Who is Katz?

A hardline Israeli politician, Katz is simply a longtime state of Netanyahu. He has held assorted ministerial portfolios since 2003, including agriculture, transportation, intelligence, energy, concern and twice, overseas affairs.

Katz was calved successful 1955 successful the metropolis of Ashkelon, a metropolis built not acold from the Palestinian colony Majdal which was depopulated successful the 1948 Nakba.

Katz joined the subject successful 1973 wherever helium served arsenic a paratrooper for 4 years. After his discharge, helium studied astatine the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He unsuccessfully ran for a spot successful Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, successful 1992 and again successful 1996. In 1998, helium yet won a spot and has since served connected respective committees.

In 2007, Israeli constabulary suggested helium beryllium tried for fraud and breach of spot for governmental appointments portion helium was agriculture minister. The probe was closed by the then-attorney general.

Some of his decisions successful authorities person been deemed beneficial to Israel’s hyper-conservative Orthodox assemblage and the country’s far-right settlers. He is mostly seen arsenic a fig who volition beryllium subservient to Netanyahu’s imaginativeness for the state and the wider region, which analysts accidental could see further displacement and taste cleansing successful Gaza and the West Bank and the depopulation of confederate Lebanon.

Unlike Gallant, Katz is simply a comparatively peripheral fig successful United States-Israeli relations.

Gallant had travel to beryllium relied connected by the Biden medication arsenic a dependable of crushed who was focused connected returning the Israeli captives successful Gaza and ending the war.

Katz, successful contrast, has regularly clashed with the United Nations. He was 1 of the architects down Israel’s propulsion to get the planetary assemblage to defund the UNRWA, which the Knesset banned from moving successful East Jerusalem past month.

In October, helium announced that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was unwelcome successful Israel. He tweeted a photoshopped representation of Guterres kneeling successful beforehand of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khameini.

5 אזרחים נרצחו הבוקר מירי ישיר של החיזבאללה לעבר המושבה הישראלית מטולה, בהם חקלאי ישראלי ו-4 עובדים זרים. אני שולח את תנחומיי למשפחות.

מזכ"ל האו"ם גוטרש @antonioguterres לא טרח לגנות את החיזבאללה ולקרוא לנקיטת סנקציות נגדו. הוא עסוק רק בלתקוף את ישראל ולהתרפס בפני ארגוני הטרור… pic.twitter.com/SNHA2UkjzF

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 31, 2024

What astir Palestine?

Katz is seen arsenic antagonistic to Palestinians successful wide and the Palestinian Authority (PA), successful particular.

As acold backmost arsenic 2011, helium called for cutting disconnected relations with the PA. More recently, helium promised to “break and dissolve” the PA if the UN moved forwards with resolutions against Israel.

In August, helium called for the eviction of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.

“We request to code the [terror] menace precisely arsenic we woody with panic infrastructure successful Gaza, including the impermanent evacuation of Palestinian civilians and immoderate different measurement needed,” helium said astatine the time.

He has antecedently utilized the menace of different Nakba against the Palestinians arsenic well.

In 2022, addressing the Knesset, Katz said, “Yesterday I warned the Arab students, who are flying Palestine flags astatine universities: Remember 48. Remember our independency warfare and your Nakba, don’t agelong the enactment excessively much. […] If you don’t calm down, we’ll thatch you a acquisition that won’t beryllium forgotten.”