ByANNA BARSKY

JUNE 10, 2026 09:54

The Likud internal court unanimously dismissed calls to remove former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from party ranks and delivered pointed remarks about his handling of Gallant Night, judicial overhaul efforts, military readiness issues, and conscription legislation.

Issued on Sunday, the decision by Court President Michael Kleiner along with members Yitzhak Bam and Yair Lachen concluded there was no statutory reason to revoke Gallant party status. Bam opened the opinion by stating the panel found no justification for ending his affiliation.

Likud activists filed the complaints, alleging Gallant had contradicted core party principles, obstructed judicial changes, effectively backed opposition positions, ignored coalition rules, and eroded member confidence.

Both the party auditor and its legal counsel backed removal. The auditor highlighted Gallant stances on Gaza, including his resistance to permanent Israeli military administration and preference for a non-hostile Palestinian body, as conflicting with Likud positions on the Land of Israel. The legal adviser maintained that Gallant failed in his obligation of fidelity to the party and lent support to rival factions.

Gallant countered that the complaints were overly broad and unsupported by evidence, insisting his decisions as defense minister stemmed from sincere worries over national security.

Gallant maintains judicial overhaul moved without adequate caution

He reiterated support for adjusting the balance of authority toward the Knesset and government yet maintained the overhaul advanced at excessive speed and without proper attention to security risks.

In testimony he described measured steps against draft refusal aimed at avoiding wider reserve-force breakdowns. He pointed to the outcome on October 7 and throughout the ensuing conflict, when units reported at 150 percent strength, including air crews.

Bam and Lachen voiced strong disapproval of the press event Gallant staged ahead of Gallant Night. Bam described it as yielding to pressure from reservists who threatened to withhold service, labeling the episode an attempt to coerce Israeli democracy through intimidation. Still, the judges acknowledged they lacked tools to decide whether Gallant aided opposition forces or followed a sincere view of national needs.

A central point addressed the conflict between party loyalty and state duty. The panel held that a minister or lawmaker obligation to Israel supersedes any party tie. It cautioned that expansive use of loyalty-breach claims could serve as a weapon to sideline internal opponents, warning that vague expulsion standards invite arbitrary decisions.

Panel dismisses assertions of coalition-rule violations

Allegations of coalition-discipline breaches were also rejected. The court noted an absence of clear procedures or faction resolutions and observed that Gallant stepped down from the Knesset once he realized he could not back the draft law. Bam added that under such facts, discipline-violation arguments would have been better avoided.

Lachen agreed with the outcome yet stressed that the genuine disappointment felt by many Likud members should be acknowledged. He observed that the press conference worsened the public and political strain and fueled protests against the government, but concluded that even a grave political error does not automatically meet constitutional thresholds for expulsion.

Kleiner found Gallant resignation from the Knesset alone sufficient to end the matter and added that petitioners were urging the court into territory the party itself prefers to keep outside judicial reach. He suggested the Likud Constitution Committee review the purpose of new Section 21 permitting direct expulsion petitions.

Gallant argued that the complainants sought to let the views of roughly twenty individuals override those of 140,000 members. The judges largely accepted this position, leaving Gallant subject to sharp political and ideological criticism yet free of formal penalties. They concluded that final judgment rests with Likud voters at the ballot box.