Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz has resigned from the emergency government, highlighting deepening divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s post-conflict plans for Gaza.
Announcing his resignation at a news conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Gantz said the decision was made with a “heavy heart.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Netanyahu is preventing us from approaching true victory, which is the justification for the painful ongoing crisis,” he stated.
Gantz, seen as a potential challenger to Netanyahu, called on the Prime Minister to set a date for elections.
Netanyahu responded on X, saying, “Benny, this is not the time to quit the campaign; this is the time to join forces.”
Gantz, a political rival and former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), leads the centrist National Unity party, which joined the emergency government on October 11, 2023, after Hamas’s October 7 attacks. National Unity holds five posts in the emergency government.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid supported Gantz’s decision, calling it “important and right” on social media.
Following Gantz’s announcement, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded a place in the war cabinet. Ben-Gvir, part of a right-wing coalition, has threatened to quit and collapse the government if Israel accepts a ceasefire proposal from US President Joe Biden.
Gantz’s influence was seen as a counterbalance to the far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition. Last month, Gantz set a June 8 deadline for Netanyahu to outline how Israel would achieve its six “strategic goals,” including ending Hamas rule in Gaza and establishing a multinational civilian administration for the territory.
The Prime Minister dismissed these comments as “washed-up words” that would mean “defeat for Israel.”
A retired army general and frequent Netanyahu critic, Gantz was a member of Israel’s key decision-making “war cabinet” along with the Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
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