Ramat Gan, Israel June 9, 2024. REUTERS/Nir Elias
Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency government on Sunday, withdrawing the only centrist faction from the embattled leader’s far-right coalition amid a prolonged conflict in Gaza.
The departure of Gantz’s centrist party does not pose an immediate threat to the government. However, it could have significant implications, leaving Netanyahu reliant on hardliners with no resolution in sight for the Gaza conflict and a potential escalation in hostilities with Lebanese Hezbollah. Last month, Gantz set a June 8 deadline for Netanyahu to present a clear post-conflict strategy for Gaza, where Israel has been conducting a severe military offensive against the ruling Palestinian militant group Hamas. Netanyahu dismissed the ultimatum shortly after it was issued.
On Sunday, Gantz stated that political considerations were clouding critical strategic decisions in Netanyahu’s cabinet. He described his decision to resign while hostages remained in Gaza and soldiers continued to fight there as agonizing. “Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory,” Gantz said in a televised news conference. “That is why we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence.”
Netanyahu responded on social media, urging Gantz not to abandon the battlefront at this critical juncture.
With Gantz’s departure, Netanyahu loses the support of a centrist bloc that has bolstered his government’s legitimacy both domestically and internationally, amid growing diplomatic and internal pressures eight months into the Gaza conflict. Although his coalition still controls 64 of the 120 seats in parliament, Netanyahu will now have to depend more heavily on the political support of ultra-nationalist parties, whose leaders had already strained relations with Washington prior to the conflict and have since called for a complete Israeli occupation of Gaza.
This increased reliance on ultra-nationalists is likely to exacerbate existing tensions with the United States and intensify public pressure at home, as the extended military campaign continues to fall short of its objectives: the eradication of Hamas and the return of more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza.
Polls have shown Gantz, a former army commander and defense minister, to be the most formidable political challenger to Netanyahu, whose reputation as a security hardliner was undermined by the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. Warning that the Gaza conflict could extend for years, Gantz urged Netanyahu to agree on an election date in the autumn to avoid further political infighting during a time of national emergency.
Gantz joined the unity government shortly after October 7 as part of Netanyahu’s inner war cabinet, where he, Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were the sole voting members. On Sunday, Gantz commended Gallant, who has had conflicts with Netanyahu and some ultra-nationalist ministers, as a courageous leader and urged him to “do the right thing,” without elaborating on what that entailed.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir immediately requested Gantz’s vacant seat in the war cabinet following the resignation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized Gantz, asserting that his resignation was giving Israel’s adversaries what they desired.
When asked about the potential impact of his departure on Israel’s international standing, Gantz expressed confidence in Gallant and Netanyahu’s understanding of necessary actions. “Hopefully they will stick to what should be done and then it will be okay,” he said.
COMMENTS