NOURNEWS: Benny Gantz had given Netanyahu until June 7th to choose between 'division and unity' and between 'victory and disaster'. He had warned that if Netanyahu did not meet his demands, he would leave the war cabinet. The war cabinet of the Israeli regime was formed after October 7th, and major decision-making power was transferred from the government to this cabinet. Gantz listed six 'strategic goals', including ending Hamas rule in Gaza and creating a multinational civilian administration for the area. He asked Netanyahu to explain how he would achieve these goals.
Who is Benny?
"Benny" is Benny Gantz. He is a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and served as the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army from 2011 to 2015. He entered politics in 2018 and has challenged Netanyahu for the position of Prime Minister several times since then.
Gantz's political positions often focus on security and defense, reflecting his military background. He advocates for strong military deterrence against threats to Israel's security, particularly from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, Gantz, unlike Netanyahu, has expressed support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has stated that Israel should work towards peace and security alongside a demilitarized Palestinian state.
While Gantz criticizes Netanyahu's approach to settlement building, he believes that large settlement blocs should remain part of Israel in any future peace agreement. Overall, Benny Gantz's political positions take a pragmatic approach to security and defense issues and advocate for dialogue and compromise on other matters, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and religious affairs.
Gantz is considered a moderate, especially compared to Netanyahu's more right-wing policies. However, his stance on the formation of a Palestinian state is somewhat ambiguous.
Gantz's popularity has recently increased, and polls show that if elections were held, he could be a strong candidate for the position of Prime Minister.
Why did Netanyahu not accept Gantz's conditions?
A month ago, had explicitly stated in response to Gantz that he couldn't accept his conditions, especially since members of his right-wing cabinet like Yoav Galant, the Defense Minister of the Israeli regime, emphasized that Netanyahu shouldn't give in to Gantz's demands. Netanyahu, who had to choose between the collapse of the war cabinet by Benny Gantz or the withdrawal of his far-right allies from the cabinet, preferred to keep his extremist allies.
Gantz also announced his resignation at a press conference today following the end of the ultimatum, stating that Netanyahu 'prevents us from approaching a real victory.' He added, 'I urge Netanyahu to hold elections as soon as possible and form a national inquiry committee.' Benny Gantz described the decision to leave the war cabinet as painful and called for elections in the coming fall.
Benjamin Netanyahu, however, responded to Benny Gantz's resignation with a post on social media, saying, "Benny, now is not the time to leave the fight; now is the time to join the forces." The Prime Minister of the Israeli regime added, "We will continue our path until victory and the realization of all war objectives, including the liberation of all captives and the destruction of Hamas at the forefront." However, Netanyahu's extremist allies used harsher language to criticize Gantz's resignation. Bezalel Smotrich, Finance Minister of Israel regime, expressed anger at Gantz's resignation, saying, "This was an action that Yahya Sinwar, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Iran were looking forward to."
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel regime, who security circles had expressed concerns about his entry into the war cabinet after Benny Gantz's resignation, demanded to join the war cabinet following this resignation. He said: 'It is time for courageous decisions to be made and real deterrence to be established to ensure security for the residents of the south, north, and all of Israel.
Yair Lapid," the opposition leader, defended Gantz's decision and considered Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot's decision to leave Netanyahu's "failed cabinet" as correct. Lapid emphasized, "It is time for a prudent government that restores security and 'hostages' (Israeli captives) and restores our international standing to replace this hardline government.
Avigdor Lieberman," former Defense Minister in Netanyahu's cabinet and a former member of the Likud party who is now the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, evaluated Gantz's resignation as a good but belated move.
NOURNEWS