FILE – Benny Gantz speaks at former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot's presidential candidacy announcement in Ramat Gan, Israel, on August 14, 2022. Gantz, a centrist member of Israel's three-member wartime cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it did not adopt a new plan for the Gaza war within three weeks, or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned to his far-right allies. This will increase the degree of dependence on
DEIR ALBALA, Gaza Strip (AP) – Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Israel's three-member wartime cabinet, said on Saturday that the government must adopt a new plan within three weeks before the start of the war. The attacks in Gaza will increase Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dependence on far-right allies, after he threatened to resign.
The announcement comes more than seven months after the war began, and Israeli leadership has yet to achieve its stated goals of dismantling Hamas and returning the large number of hostages abducted in the extremist attack on October 7. This is further deepening the rift within the department.
Gantz detailed a six-point plan that includes returning the hostages, ending Hamas's rule, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and establishing an international civil administration. He also supports efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and extend military service to all Israelis.
He gave a deadline of June 8th.
“If you choose the path of fanaticism and lead the entire country into the abyss, we will be forced to quit the government,” he said.
Gantz, a longtime political rival of Netanyahu, joined Netanyahu's coalition government and war cabinet early in the war.
The former military chief of staff and defense minister's resignation has seen Prime Minister Netanyahu take a hard line on negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release, further entrenching far-right allies who believe Israel should occupy Gaza and rebuild Jewish enclaves. You will be indebted to him. A village there.
Gantz spoke days after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, the third member of the war cabinet, said he would not remain in his post if Israel chooses to reoccupy Gaza. Mr. Gallant also called on the government to develop a plan for Palestinian governance of the enclave.
In what many would see as a veiled blow at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz said that “personal and political considerations are beginning to seep into the sanctuaries of Israel's security.” Ta. Netanyahu's critics have accused him of trying to prolong the war to avoid new elections, an allegation he denies.
Opinion polls predict that Netanyahu is likely to be replaced in the election, with Gantz most likely to become the next prime minister. If that happens, Prime Minister Netanyahu could be indicted on long-standing corruption charges.
“The Israeli people are watching you,” Gantz said in a prime-time address to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is under increasing pressure on multiple fronts. Hardliners within the government want to press ahead with a military offensive on Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, with the goal of crushing Hamas. Key allies, including the United States, have warned of attacks on the city where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people had fled (where hundreds of thousands of people are currently displaced) and reduced support for Gaza's humanitarian crisis. He is threatening to do so.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will visit Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to discuss the war and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, adding that if necessary, Israel will “I will stand alone,” he declared.
Many Israelis, anguished over the hostages and accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of putting political interests above all else, want an agreement to end the fighting and release the hostages. Fresh complaints arose on Friday when the military announced that troops in the Gaza Strip had found the bodies of three hostages killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack. On Saturday, it was announced that the fourth hostage's body had been found.
Recent talks aimed at a ceasefire brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt have yielded little results. The post-war vision is also unclear.
The war began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Israel has announced that about 100 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, and about 30 more bodies remain.
Israeli military attacks have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and hundreds more in the occupied West Bank, according to local health officials.
Gantz echoed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's calls for the return of many hostages, an end to Hamas control and the demilitarization of the territory. But he also said an international government should be installed on the ground to eliminate what is clearly a long-term Israeli occupation.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel would maintain unrestricted security control over Gaza and work with local Palestinians who are not part of Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ta. But Netanyahu also said it would be impossible to plan for such a post-war authority before Hamas is defeated.
In March, Gantz met with U.S. officials in Washington to discuss the war and was reprimanded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was widely expected to leave the government as soon as the heavy fighting in Gaza subsides, suggesting a period of national unity will be established after the end of the October 7 offensive.
