Jerusalem:

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yves Gallant, who often took an independent stance against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government allies, said on Wednesday he was resigning from parliament.

After months of disagreements over the conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza, Gallant was fired from the government by Netanyahu in November, but retained his seat as an elected member of the Knesset.

“As it is on the battlefield, so it is in public service,” Gallant said in a televised statement.

Gallant has often aligned himself with Netanyahu and his allies in the far-right and religious parties, including over the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from serving in the military — a hot-button issue. In March 2023, Netanyahu fired Gallant after he pushed to block a highly controversial government plan to curtail the Supreme Court’s powers. His dismissal sparked mass protests and Netanyahu backed down.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Gallant and Netanyahu, along with a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict, which Israel has contested.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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