The threat of resignation from Benny Gantz, an esteemed centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet trio, may escalate tensions within the government if his proposed Gaza war scheme is not adopted. This might leave incumbent Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, more dependent on his extreme right allies.
Saturday’s announcement by Gantz initiates a deeper fissure within Israel’s political leadership, following a non-fruition approach to the war, which is nearly seven months old. Its aim to eliminate Hamas and retrieve numerous hostages seized during the assault on October 7th has been unachieved.
The strategy suggested by Gantz is a six-pronged approach, consisting of: hostage recovery, overthrowing of Hamas’s governance, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, introducing international management of civilian tasks, backing initiatives to improve ties with Saudi Arabia and expanding military service to include all Israeli citizens, with a target date of 8th June.
He warned against leading the nation down a fanatic’s route, stating that the duo would be compelled to separate from the government. In response to this, Mr. Netanyahu, as conveyed by Israeli press, claimed that Mr. Gantz was not challenging Hamas but giving the prime minister an ultimatum; he categorised his terms as subtly implying Israel’s defeat.
Initially, Mr. Gantz, a competitor of Mr. Netanyahu in the political sphere, teamed up with his coalition and war cabinet. If the previous Chief of Military Staff and the defence minister departs, Mr. Netanyahu could become subservient to his far-right allies, favouring a stern take on ceasefire negotiation and the release of hostages. These allies encourage the notion of an occupied Gaza and the construction of Jewish settlements.
Gantz commented on the situation a few days post Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, the third member of the war cabinet, declared his intent to vacate his position if reoccupying Gaza was chosen by Israel. Gallant also proposed planning for the Palestinian administration of the area. Responding to this, Gantz hinted personal and political interests have started to infringe upon the sanctity of Israel’s security. Critics of Mr. Netanyahu accuse him of extending the war duration to circumvent fresh elections, charges he denies.
Election offerings indicate that a leadership change is likely in Israel, with Mr Gantz appearing to be the top contender to succeed the current Prime Minister, Mr Netanyahu. This shift could leave Mr Netanyahu vulnerable to prosecution regarding long-standing allegations of corruption.
Addressing Mr Netanyahu during a televised speech, Mr Gantz noted, “The eyes of Israel’s citizens are upon you.”
Mr Netanyahu is being squeezed from numerous directions. The conservative faction in his administration is pushing for a military assault on Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza, to overthrow Hamas. His vital ally, the United States, alongside other nations, have expressed their disapproval of such an attack on a city where a significant portion of Gaza’s 2.3 million population used to live before hundreds of thousands fled. They cautioned that they might reduce their support due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, is set to visit Saudi Arabia and Israel over the weekend to address the ongoing conflict. It is planned that he will meet with Mr Netanyahu on Sunday, who has stated Israel is prepared to “go it alone” if necessary.
Various Israelis are demanding a peace deal, expressing their distress over the captured citizens and alleging Mr Netanyahu of prioritising political matters over everything else. Their frustrations amplified when on Friday, the military revealed the discovery of three deceased hostages, killed by Hamas during an attack on October 7th. A day later, the body of another hostage was found.
Public demonstrations were held on Saturday evening, with thousands fervently calling for a ceasefire deal and fresh elections. However, recent diplomatic efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, the US, and Egypt, have achieved little.
The conflict was sparked by an attack by Hamas on Southern Israel on October 7th, which claimed 1,200 lives and saw 250 individuals taken hostage. According to Israel, around 100 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, as well as the bodies of approximately 30 more.
The Israeli military initiative has resulted in over 35,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, according to local health authorities, with several hundred more reported dead in the occupied West Bank.
Mr Gantz reiterated Mr Netanyahu’s demands for the release of numerous hostages and the overthrow of Hamas’s governance and disarmament of the region. Nonetheless, he proposed the establishment of an international administration in the area, seemingly dismissing a prolonged Israeli occupation.
Mr. Netanyahu has expressed that Israel will continue to impose indefinite security regulation over Gaza whilst collaborating with local Palestinians not associated with Hamas or the western-supported Palestinian Authority, which has command over sectors of the West Bank under Israeli occupation. However, it’s untenable to strategise for such an authority until Hamas is conquered, he said. Whilst just under 800,000 Palestinians have vacated Rafah as Israeli ground action continues according to Unrwa, the national unity era initiated post the assault on the 7th of October is expected to cease following the diminishing intensity of the Gaza conflict. Indeed, Netanyahu criticised Gantz for his March consultation with US officials concerning the war in Washington – suggesting that it was generally anticipated that Gantz would exit the government once the Gaza conflict toned down. (Source: AP)