After months of fighting in Gaza, on June 9, 2024, Israel’s Minister Benny Gantz announced that he was resigning from the seat of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency leadership. Along with his resignation, the struggling leader’s far-right cabinet lost its lone centrist member.
Due to Minister Gantz’s resignation, Israel’s government will not be in danger. Netanyahu will now be dependent on hardliners, and the Gaza conflict and possible escalation with Lebanese Hezbollah are both ongoing.
In addition to this, Minister Gantz gave Netanyahu a deadline on June 8 to come up with a clear plan for Gaza, where Israel has been fighting a devastating military assault against Hamas. Gantz resigned, claiming politics influenced important choices after Netanyahu refused his request. Gantz resigned from the emergency cabinet, claiming that Netanyahu impeded the winning strategy. In response, Netanyahu declared that giving up the fight was not the moment.
Netanyahu has become more dependent on ultra-nationalist groups that have strained relationships with the United States and demanded an Israeli occupation of Gaza in its entirety as he lost support from centrists after he resigned Minister Gantz. Regarded as a formidable adversary of Netanyahu, Gantz advocated for autumnal elections to avert additional political squabbling under the ongoing national crises.
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Gantz became a member of the unity government. However, on Sunday, he named Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a bold leader and asked him to “do the right thing.” Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir requested Gantz’s membership in the war cabinet, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich chastised Gantz for supporting Israel’s adversaries. Gantz expressed optimism that Netanyahu and Gallant would behave in a way that would improve Israel’s reputation overseas.
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