Israel’s Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu named former Israel Defense Forces Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, a member of his Likud party, to serve as defense minister in his new cabinet on Wednesday, a day before the new government was slated to be sworn in. Some aspects of overseeing the Defense Ministry will fall to coalition lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party, who will oversee civil administration and government activities in the West Bank.
Galant joined Likud in 2018. Prior to that he was a member of the short-lived Kulanu party, where he served as construction and housing minister, and then as minister of aliyah, followed by minister of education as a lawmaker for Likud.
Galant served as head of IDF Southern Command, as well as commander of the Gaza Division, the 340th Idan Armored Division and the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit.
Also on Wednesday, Netanyahu appointed Israel Katz to serve as foreign minister, a post he previously held in 2020. Tzachi Hanegbi was named on Tuesday as the next national security adviser.