Benny Gantz, an Israeli politician and a key member of the country's war cabinet, resigned from the government on Sunday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mishandling of the Gaza war.
Netanyahu's resignation dealt a heavy blow to the unity Israel displayed at the start of the conflict and exposed divisions within the Israeli leadership over the future of the war and its aftermath.
Mr. Gantz, a centrist who threatened last month to resign if Mr. Netanyahu did not address his concerns about how the war ends and what happens after it ends, said his party would leave the emergency government “with a heavy but full heart.” He said Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership “has prevented us from moving toward true victory.”
The move is unlikely to force Netanyahu from office – the prime minister's government will still have a slim majority in the Knesset. Mr Gantz's resignation comes amid frustration among Israelis over the failure to decisively overthrow Hamas or bring home all hostages held in Gaza following the October 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel. Mr Netanyahu has also faced international criticism as destruction and civilian casualties in Gaza have mounted.
Last month, Gantz set a deadline for Netanyahu to answer a series of questions, including plans to return hostages held in Gaza. He was scheduled to hold a news conference on Saturday, but was postponed after Israeli authorities announced Rescue four hostages.
Gantz laid out his vision of a “real victory” in a televised address late Sunday, saying it would include prioritizing the repatriation of hostages over political survival – an apparent taunt against the prime minister. He also said it would combine a “military victory” with diplomatic moves to oust Hamas and establish an alternative government.
One of the most notable differences between Gantz and Netanyahu is over the future governance plan for Gaza. Critics say Netanyahu has failed to present a coherent plan for how and by whom Gaza will be governed after the war. Gantz has called for the creation of an executive body to oversee civilian affairs and has the support of the United States, Europe, Arabs and Palestinians.
On Sunday, Gantz singled out for praise Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of Netanyahu's party who has at times voiced opposition to the prime minister, and called on him not only to “say the right things but to do the right things,” though it was unclear what he meant.
Netanyahu reacted to Gantz's comments by urging him to stay in the government.
“Israel is locked in a life-or-death battle on multiple fronts. Benny, now is not the time to give up the fight — now is the time to unite our forces,” he wrote on X. “My door is always open to any Zionist party willing to step up, help us defeat our enemies, and keep our citizens safe.”
Now that Mr Gantz has stepped down from the war cabinet, his influence over the war will be limited. But it allows him to present himself as someone who stands up to Mr Netanyahu ahead of any future elections. Critics, however, say Mr Gantz should have taken that step months ago.
Gantz’s party joined the emergency government after the Hamas-led attack, which was seen as a show of unity during the crisis. He and another member of his party, Gadi Eisenkot, joined the powerful War Cabinet, a small body responsible for making key decisions about the conflict. (Eisenkot, a non-voting member of the War Cabinet, also resigned on Sunday.) Gantz’s credentials were bolstered by his role as a former military chief of staff, a former defense minister and a popular opposition figure seen as a potential future prime minister.
But as the war dragged on, differences became apparent between Netanyahu and Gantz, who demanded that the war cabinet approve a plan to bring hostages home, address Gaza’s future governance, allow displaced Israelis to return home and move forward with normalization with Saudi Arabia, among other things.
“If you choose the path of fanatics and drag the country into the abyss, we will be forced to leave the government,” he said at a televised press conference on May 18.
Following Saturday’s rescue and the delay in Mr. Gantz’s speech, Mr. Netanyahu appeared hopeful that Mr. Gantz would remain in the emergency government.The return of the four hostages has jubilated Israelis but also highlighted the challenges of trying to free about 120 others through military action alone.
Netanyahu has rejected the Biden administration’s view that the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, should in some form help govern Gaza — a view shared by Gantz. He has not publicly accepted the ceasefire proposal endorsed by Biden, which Israeli officials say is largely in line with the one approved by the war cabinet. (Hamas has not formally responded to the proposal, either.)
But Mr Gantz was one of the most visible figures in pushing for the hostage release and ceasefire. His moderate stance helped boost the government's international credibility. Without his party, the prime minister's government would be made up of his right-wing Likud party, three far-right parties and two ultra-Orthodox factions.
Analysts say Gantz's departure could embolden far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition, led by Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who have threatened to overthrow the government if Netanyahu moves forward with the latest ceasefire proposal. Expressed on social media He has written to Netanyahu asking for his inclusion in the war cabinet.
Natan Sachs, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy Studies, called Gantz’s decision a “risky move” that would exclude moderate voices from Netanyahu’s government.
“It strengthens the far right. In the war cabinet it could undermine the chances of getting a deal to free the hostages,” he said. “There are now two important voices in favour of a deal.”
Alan Boxman and Johnson Rice Contributed reporting.
