Benny Gantz, the chair of Israel’s National Unity party, announced on Sunday that he was quitting the emergency government and war cabinet that was formed after October 7 and called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set a date for new elections.
Gantz said Netanyahu was preventing Israel from achieving “true victory” in Gaza. “I call on Netanyahu: Set an agreed election date. Don’t let our people be torn apart,” he said.
The National Unity party’s exit does not force elections since Netanyahu’s coalition still holds 64 out of 120 seats in the Knesset. Gantz called for others to join him, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party but recently called out the prime minister over his lack of a clear long-term plan for Gaza.
Gantz’s move comes a few weeks after he threatened to quit if Netanyahu didn’t agree to a list of demands by June 8. The demands included agreeing to establish a US-European-Arab-Palestinian administration to manage civilian affairs in Gaza alongside Israeli security control, which would mean long-term Israeli military occupation.
Haaretz reported that Gantz informed the White House of his plans to quit several days ago and asked for the US’s opinion. The report said: “US officials told Gantz that while they did not intend on intervening in Israeli politics, they noted the fragile state of the hostage/cease-fire talks. His departure will only lead to added pressure from the US on Netanyahu.”
Earlier this year, Gantz visited the US and met with several high-level officials as part of a trip that was not approved by Netanyahu. The Haaretz report said that US officials have viewed Gantz as their “preferred interlocutor” in the war cabinet.
Many in the US consider Gantz to be Netanyahu’s moderate opposition. But one of Gantz’s critiques of Netanyahu is that he didn’t go into the southern Gaza city of Rafah soon enough.
Interesting timing. Just after the IDF scored a major win by rescuing 4 kidnapped victims and killing dozens of enemy fighters.
Gantz is worried about Israel's survival, not killing Palestinians.. He has killed tens of thousands and is as big a criminal as Netanyahoo but some see the world turning against Israel and it terrifies them
The crime minister, Gantz and all that support Gaza Genocide should go to prison for the rest of their lives…!
Israel’s military said a special forces officer was killed in exchanges of fire with militants emerging from cover in residential blocks, and that it knew of “under 100” Palestinians killed, though not how many of them were fighters or civilians.
You're pulling that "dozens of enemy fighters" number out of your ass. One thing is for sure, they killed a shitload of innocents. Just like they have ruthlessly done for 8 months running.
This Genocide is not going to have a happy ending for Israel. But it may bring about a better situation in the Mid East.Hooray for Palestine.
There are no moderates in an ethnonationist apartheid state, created through ethnic cleansing and now committing war crimes and genocide in the terroritories it has been illegally occupying for 56 years.
Many in the US consider Gantz to be Netanyahu’s moderate opposition. But one of Gantz’s critiques of Netanyahu is that he didn’t go into the southern Gaza city of Rafah soon enough.
Gantz isn't moderate compared to anyone. Maybe Tom Cotton. But it wasn't like Netanyahu didn't want to go in earlier. The US was trying to pretend that they were concerned about Palestinian deaths, so they convinced him to do it at a slower pace.
Israel massacre is anything but slow pace…!
I said slower. The electricity would never have been turned on and NO aid would have EVER gotten in if not for the "benevolent" US urging them to take it slower for PR purposes.
Nice times are coming… Israel in turmoil…!
It's possible-perhaps impossible-that Benny Gantz had a phone conversation with a power player(s) in Washington, DC, and Moscow, Russia.
After nearly nine months of interminable military conflict and genocide, he may have "suddenly" realized the futility of fighting Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinians, and global public opinion against Jews and Zionists.