Israel’s war cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigns from Netanyahu’s government
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz resigned from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, dealing a blow to the prime minister who was celebrating the rare return of 4 hostages held in Gaza.
Gantz said in a televised statement on Sunday, in which he described leaving the government as a “complicated and painful decision,” adding that “Netanyahu is preventing us from moving forward toward a real victory (in Gaza).”
He added, “This is why we leave the emergency government today with a heavy heart but with a full heart.” Gantz—considered Netanyahu’s main political rival—made the decision after he issued an ultimatum to the prime minister last month, calling on him to develop a new plan for the war against Hamas by June 8.
Gantz was expected to resign on Saturday but postponed the announcement after reports that Israeli forces rescued four hostages in an operation that Gaza officials said left more than 270 Palestinians dead.
His resignation comes despite Netanyahu’s call on Saturday for Gantz to remain in the Israeli emergency government, saying that this is a time for unity, not division.
Netanyahu added, via Telegram: “We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks ahead of us. I call on Benny Gantz – do not abandon the emergency government. Do not abandon unity.”
Gantz’s decision does not put Netanyahu’s government in great danger — his party was not part of the prime minister’s coalition, which maintains a 64-seat majority in the Knesset, Israel’s 120-member parliament. However, it would leave the war government, which was formed four days after the Hamas attack on October 7, without representation from any party other than Netanyahu’s Likud.
Besides the prime minister, the only other remaining member of the emergency government with decision-making power is Defense Minister Yoav Galant, also from the Likud party.
Netanyahu faces increasing calls from Israel’s Western allies and families of hostages held in Gaza to end the war and return the prisoners. Eight months into the war, Israel has still not achieved its stated goals, with most senior Hamas leaders at large and more than 100 hostages being held in the Strip.
The United States has repeatedly called on the Israeli Prime Minister to present a concrete post-war plan in Gaza. US President Joe Biden, who last week put forward a proposal for a three-pronged Israeli peace agreement, indicated that Netanyahu would likely benefit from prolonging the conflict. Netanyahu rejected Gantz’s threat, saying that his request would harm Israel.
In April, Gantz called for early elections next September, before the first anniversary of the war, saying that “Israeli society needs to renew its contract with its leadership.”
According to opinion polls, Gantz often outperforms the prime minister in popularity. A survey published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv on Friday showed that support for Gantz reached 42%, compared to 34% for Netanyahu.
The war cabinet, of which Gantz was a member, operates independently of the broader Israeli government. It is responsible for making decisions related to the fighting in Gaza.
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, wrote in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: “He (Gantz) joined the government four days after October 7 to balance matters with the far right and prevent rash decisions from being made. In his opinion, he was an adult.” The official in a government full of incompetent people.
The longer Gantz stays in government, the weaker Gantz will become,” Pinkas wrote. “The more his positions coincide with the prime minister’s positions, the more both sides will lose. The right-wingers will go home, and the centrists will look for other options.”
