It seems safe to assume that when Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant is submitted for their approval, the cabinet ministers will maintain the tradition of unanimously approving the defense minister's choice of chief of staff. While a few ministers have been critical of the appointment process, no one spoke out against Galant himself.
A number of ministers refused to respond yesterday when asked how they planned to vote, or said they were still undecided. Vice Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who at yesterday's cabinet meeting protested what he called the "hasty" appointment, declined to comment to the media on the matter or to say whether he will support Galant's appointment.
No party represented in the Knesset has announced that it intends to abstain from the cabinet vote or to vote against approving the appointment. Sources in the Labor Party said they expected all Labor ministers to support the choice Defense Minster Ehud Barak, who is also party chairman. Likud ministers are also expected to toe the line.
Yisrael Beiteinu sources said they believed party ministers would support Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and vote for Galant. Shas is also expected to approve Galant's appointment.
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) proposed that the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hold hearings for all the candidates. "Even if the committee won't actually decide who the next chief of staff will be, it would improve public knowledge of the candidates' positions on key issues," he said. "Together with the congratulations earned by Maj. Gen. Galant we should remind everyone, including the defense minister, that the police investigation [of the 'Galant document affair'] is not finished and we should wait for its conclusions," MK Nachman Shai (Kadima) said.
