Gallant made the comments at a graduation ceremony for new
military officers, also attended by Netanyahu, whose coalition government is
already strained by infighting.
The
state inquiry, he said, "must be objective, it needs to investigate all of
us, those who make decisions and those who carry them out, the government, the
military, and the security agencies."
"It must investigate me, the defence minister, it must
investigate the prime minister," Gallant said, to cheers from the crowd.
Netanyahu
has dismissed past calls to form a state inquiry into the October 07 attack,
which caught Israel off guard and sparked the war in Gaza, saying that
examinations into what happened should be carried out once the war ends.
Only the government can decide to form a state commission of
inquiry, which has a broad mandate and its findings carry weight. The chief
justice of the Supreme Court chooses its members.
Gallant has broken ranks with Netanyahu before.
Last
year, after months of nationwide protests against government plans to curb Supreme
Court powers, Gallant said proposed legislation should be dropped, warning the
public dispute could hurt national security.
Netanyahu
immediately sacked him, spurring tens of thousands of Israelis to take to the
streets in support of Gallant. The veteran prime minister eventually relented
and Gallant kept his job.
Gallant has since clashed with Netanyahu over Gaza strategy,
prompting some members of their Likud party to call for him to be dismissed
from his post.
