Benny Gantz announces resignation from Israeli emergency government

Israeli Minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from the government, after the expiration of a deadline he had set for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make strategic decisions on the war in the Gaza Strip.

Gantz stated, “Our participation in the war council was for the common interest and not to achieve political goals, and leaving the government is a complex and painful decision… Today we leave the emergency government with heavy hearts”.

In his resignation statement, Gantz noted that “Netanyahu is hindering important strategic decisions due to political considerations,” stressing that “the withdrawal from this government comes as a result of those obstacles that prevent progress towards achieving real victory”.

Gantz, a former minister in the war council, also signaled his support for the deal offered by US President Joe Biden, calling on Netanyahu to dare to accept it.

In his speech to the families of the prisoners, he stressed, “We’ve failed to return your sons, and all possible efforts must be made to make the deal offered to recover the abductees successful”.

Gantz spoke of the continuation of the war in Gaza, saying, “It’s a long war and it will continue; I call on Defense Minister Galant to be brave and make the right decisions”.

“I call on Netanyahu to hold elections as soon as possible and to form a national commission of inquiry… We need elections that bring a genuine, Zionist and national unity government,” he said, calling on party leaders to support him in this call for the formation of a Zionist national unity government.

Netanyahu had called on Gantz, head of the National Camp bloc, to reverse his decision to withdraw from Israel’s emergency government, which was formed in the aftermath of the Gaza war, and urged him “not to compromise on unity”.

In a brief statement on his social media accounts, Netanyahu expressed the need for unity, saying, “This is the time for unity, not division”.

“We must remain united in the face of the great challenges that lie ahead… I call on Benny Gantz: don’t leave the emergency government, don’t give up unity,” he said.

In another development, the commander of the IDF’s Gaza Division, Avi Rosenfeld, submitted his resignation in a letter to the mayors of the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip, stressing that he had failed in his mission to protect the area.

Gantz’s departure is expected to have a significant impact on Netanyahu, as it will lead to him losing the support of the centrist bloc, which has expanded his support base at home and abroad, amid mounting diplomatic and domestic pressure eight months after the outbreak of the war on Gaza.

This will require Netanyahu to rely more on the support of extremist parties, which have further strained relations with Washington even before the war began, calling for the entire occupation and settlement of Gaza.

This situation is likely to increase tensions with the United States and mount popular pressure inside Israel, with the 264-day war not being achieved.

Political analysts believe that Gantz’s resignation may reduce the chances of success of the current ceasefire effort, noting that his stay in the government would have been likely if a deal was possible.

Polls show Gantz as Netanyahu’s main political rival, whose security reputation was severely damaged after the October 7 test on Israel.

Gantz joined the unity government shortly after the attack, asserting that he had put political considerations aside for the national interest.