Benny Gantz, Israel’s war minister, has resigned from the emergency government due to deepening divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s post-conflict plans for Gaza.
During a news conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Gantz announced his resignation, stating that the decision was made with a “heavy heart.” He criticized Netanyahu for preventing the approach to true victory, which he sees as the justification for the ongoing crisis.
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Considered by some as a potential challenger for power in Israel, Gantz called on Netanyahu to set a date for elections. In response, Netanyahu posted on X, urging Gantz not to quit the campaign but to join forces.
Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a political rival of Netanyahu, leads the centrist National Unity party, which was in opposition until October 11, 2023. After the start of the war following Hamas’s October 7 attacks, he agreed to form an emergency government with Netanyahu. National Unity holds five posts in the emergency government.
Current opposition leader Yair Lapid supported Gantz’s decision as “important and right” on social media.
Immediately after the announcement, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded a place in the war cabinet. Ben-Gvir, part of a right-wing coalition, threatened to quit and collapse the government if Israel accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden.
Gantz’s influence in the government was viewed as a counterbalance to far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition. Last month, Gantz set a deadline of June 8 for Netanyahu to lay out Israel’s strategy to achieve its six “strategic goals,” including ending Hamas rule in Gaza and establishing a multinational civilian administration for the territory. Netanyahu dismissed the comments as “washed-up words” that would mean “defeat for Israel.”
A retired army general and frequent critic of Netanyahu, Gantz had been a member of Israel’s key decision-making “war cabinet,” alongside the prime minister and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
During the news conference, Mr. Gantz announced that he was not only resigning from the government personally but also withdrawing from the National Unity party that he chairs. This move will not topple the Israeli government, as Mr. Netanyahu will still maintain a comfortable majority of 64 in the 120-seat Knesset. However, it further isolates the prime minister and exposes the deep political divisions over how he is handling the war.
The resignation also coincides with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s three-day trip to the region, where he plans to visit Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar to push for a ceasefire agreement.
In a separate development on Sunday, Israel’s army announced the resignation of a senior commander, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, who headed the IDF’s Gaza division. He cited his failure to prevent the October 7 attacks as the reason for his resignation. Rosenfeld is the first IDF combat commander to step down since the attacks.
