IMG 20240520 WA0021
Picture Courtesy: (Getty) Benny Gantz has threatened to leave the cabinet.
On Saturday, May 18, a member of the war cabinet, Benny Gantz, a key member of Israel’s war cabinet, threatened to quit, and Netanyahu’s main political rival argued he would depart from the government on June 8 if there was no new war plan put together to include an international, Arab, and Palestinian administration to deal with civilian affairs in Gaza.
In a speech over the week, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, the third member of the cabinet, requested a plan for a Palestinian administration; he wouldn’t agree to Israel’s reign over Gaza itself. Israeli media have stated that the growing discontent within the country’s security establishment due to the course of the war has led to officials in Israel warning that the lack of planning will turn tactical victories into defeat. Although Gaza was left with no one else to lead, Hamas has continued to regroup, with the hardest-hit areas that Israel in the past said it had cleared.
Heavy battles have taken place in recent days in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp in the north and the Zeitoun neighbourhood on the outskirts of Gaza City. In contrast, the US government has requested a revitalised Palestinian Authority (PA) to control Gaza with assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states ahead of eventual statehood. On the next visit to Israel, Jake Sullivan, who is the US national security adviser, will be expected to push those plans.
However, Netanyahu has removed all of them. Despite Gantz’s threat potentially limiting his options, Netanyahu has rejected any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and intends to transfer civil responsibilities to local Palestinians not associated with it or Hamas. But he has also added that it’s out of the question to make any such plans until Hamas has lost because it has threatened anyone who cooperates with Israel.
In a statement issued after the threat had been issued, Netanyahu argued that Gantz’s conditions would increase to defeat Israel, leaving most of the hostages behind on top of Hamas entirely and initiating a Palestinian state. He added that he thought the emergency government was important for prosecuting the war, and he hoped Gantz would make it clear to the public about his positions.
If Gantz’ does eventually leave the cabinet, it will leave Netanyahu even more bound to his far-right coalition allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who could more easily bring down the government if their demands were not carried out from office if new elections were connected. Netanyahu’s long political career will be over, and that will also expose him to prosecution over long-standing corruption charges.
About the Author
