Amid the deepening disagreements over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s post-conflict plans for Gaza, Israel's war cabinet minister Benny Gantz quit the emergency government.
His exit was not quite sudden or surprising. Gantz had quit three weeks after laying down a deadline for Netanyahu to come up with a clear postwar strategy for Gaza.
"Leaving the government is a complex and painful decision," said Gantz in a televised statement. He added that Netanyahu prevents us from moving forward to a real victory [in Gaza]. “That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart, but with a whole heart.”
Netanyahu had reacted to his exit by saying, "Israel is in an existential war on several fronts. Benny, this is not the time to abandon the war - this is the time to join forces."
On May 18, Gantz said that if Netanyahu didn’t come up with a proper plan to bring the hostages and governance of a post-war Gaza, then he would quit the government by June 8. The Israel’s rescue mission of the hostages in between had delayed the ex-defence minister’s exit plans.
Will Gantz's exit affect the Netanyahu government?
Gantz, the former chief of staff, is considered Netanyahu’s chief political rival. According to analysts, if the election is held in the country now then Gantz has a good chance of winning.
However, his exit does not affect the Netanyahu government as his coalition partners have 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. Netanyahu still enjoys the majority and the elections in Israel are due only in October 2026.
Amid the intensifying Gaza war, Netanyahu was criticised for handling the hostage situation and there was immense pressure on him to step down.
Along with Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, a centrist member of the Israel war cabinet also resigned from Netanyahu's emergency government. Meanwhile, Gantz's exit might cause a political chain reaction and will give courage to the PM's critics at home and abroad.
Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israeli army after giving his resignation said that “We have witnessed that the decisions made by the government and by you are not necessarily motivated by national considerations and the good of the country,” Eisenkot wrote to Netanyahu. “Foreign and political considerations have infiltrated the discussion rooms and influence the decision-making,” he said.
Gantz has also addressed Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, a war cabinet from Netanyahu's own Likud party. Gallant has also voiced support for reaching a deal with the militants to bring home the 120 hostages still in captivity, even if it requires painful compromises.
Gantz's exit makes Netanyahu more dependent on far-right allies. His exit may further worsen the political crisis in the country as the Gaza war continues.