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Israel Business Leaders Urge Netanyahu to Keep Defense Chief Gallant 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is received by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (not pictured) at the Pentagon in Washington, US, June 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is received by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (not pictured) at the Pentagon in Washington, US, June 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel Business Leaders Urge Netanyahu to Keep Defense Chief Gallant 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is received by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (not pictured) at the Pentagon in Washington, US, June 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is received by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (not pictured) at the Pentagon in Washington, US, June 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel's Business Forum on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not fire his defense minister, saying it would create more division and weaken the country after reports of an imminent political shake-up rattled the country.

Israel's leading television channels and news websites have reported that Netanyahu, under pressure from far-right coalition partners, was contemplating firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and replacing him with a former ally turned rival, Gideon Saar, who is currently a member of the opposition.

The forum, which consists of 200 heads of Israel's largest companies that employ many private sector workers, said Netanyahu should stop "messing around with petty politics" during a war.

"Immediately stop the process of replacing (Gallant)," the forum said in a statement. "The firing of the minister weakens Israel in the eyes of her enemies, and will further deepen the division in the people of Israel."

Such a move would be a shock to the political and security landscape, especially as the war with Hamas in Gaza rages on and with the looming threat of all-out war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Netanyahu denied that he was in negotiations with Saar, though he did not refer to his plans for Gallant. Saar denied that he was negotiating with some members of the coalition.

"The prime minister knows better than anyone that all the economic indicators also prove that Israel is deteriorating into an economic abyss and sinking into a deep recession," the forum said. "The last thing Israel needs at this time is the firing of a defense minister - which will continue to shock the country."

On Monday, official data showed the economy grew an annualized 0.7% in the second quarter, revised down from a prior estimate of 1.2%. On a per capita basis, the economy contracted 0.9% in the quarter.

In March 2023, Netanyahu fired Gallant after he broke ranks with the government and urged a halt to a highly contested plan to overhaul the judicial system. That triggered mass protests and Netanyahu backtracked.

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7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations

7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations
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7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations

7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga early Monday morning, causing slight damage and brief evacuations before the threat of a tsunami hitting the Pacific island country passed.
Tsunami sirens could be heard after the 1:18 a.m. quake urging residents to move inland in a live video streamed by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission. People in the capital, Nuku’alofa, were seen moving inland or to higher ground before officials gave the all-clear for residents to return home.
Tongans posting on social media reported being able to place calls to most islands in the archipelago. Taekwondo athlete Pita Taufatofua posted to Facebook that items fell from shelves and tables and pictures fell from the walls during the shaking, The Associated Press reported.
“Was hard to stand up,” he wrote. “Never felt an earthquake go for that long.”
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 29 kilometers (18 miles) and was centered about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the main island. Hours later, a second 6.1 magnitude quake hit in the same area.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a notice after the first quake saying hazardous waves were possible but the threat passed with only minor sea changes detected. A warning was also cancelled hours later by the country's disaster management office.
There were no reported casualties or structural damage, said Mafua Maka, the agency's director, speaking to Radio New Zealand a few hours after the quake. Further assessment would be made in daylight, local news outlets said.
Tonga is a country in Polynesia made up of 171 islands with just over 100,000 people, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatapu. It is 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of New Zealand and situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic region of earthquakes and volcanoes.