Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, still battling external foes on multiple fronts, woke up Monday to a new political battleground at home.
this leave The exit of Benny Gantz and his centrist National Unity Party from Israel’s emergency wartime government this weekend is unlikely to immediately sever Netanyahu’s grip on power. The prime minister’s ruling coalition still holds a slim majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament.
But Gantz’s move means Netanyahu is now completely dependent on his far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition partners as he faces a tough battle to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. International community condemnsThis resulted in him becoming increasingly isolated and exposed both at home and abroad.
Mr Gantz and another powerful member of the National Unity Party, Gadi Eisenkot, also left Netanyahu's small war cabinetAll are former military chiefs and are widely seen as the leading moderate voices on the five-member committee, which was established last October after a Hamas-led attack on Israel sparked an Israeli bombing and ground incursion into Gaza.
The two centrist politicians have boosted public confidence in the government’s decision-making process at a time of national trauma for Israel. They have also lent a veneer of legitimacy and consensus to the war cabinet as it battles Hamas in Gaza and arch-enemy Iran and its other proxies, including the powerful Hezbollah militia on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Gantz accused Netanyahu of “political procrastination,” suggesting he has been delaying key strategic decisions to ensure his own political survival. His decision to quit the wartime government ushered in a new period of political instability, leaving many Israelis wondering where the country is headed.
Yohanan Plesner, director of the Israel Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization in Jerusalem, said in a statement that the political change was “far-reaching” and that Israelis had given Low government rating Discussions were held on a range of wartime issues, including how to handle the war and relations with the United States, Israel's key ally, he said.
“With Gantz’s absence, I expect the grades to be lower,” Mr. Plesner said.
Three weeks ago, Gantz issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, warning him that he would dissolve the emergency government if Netanyahu failed to come up with a clear plan, including who would replace Hamas as ruler of post-war Gaza and how to bring back the dozens of hostages still held in Palestinian territories.
Gantz joined the government last October to foster a sense of unity in a time of crisis. He joined forces with political rival Netanyahu despite a lack of trust between the two and a history of betrayal. Gantz last formed a government with Netanyahu in 2020, but Netanyahu violated their power-sharing agreement and the results were unsatisfactory. Gantz and Eisenkot, whose son is a soldier, have played a prominent role in the government. Killed Protests in Israel, which were raging in Gaza last December, have abated in recent months, leaving many Israelis to wonder why they didn’t leave the emergency government sooner and join the opposition. Gantz has called for early elections this fall.
Netanyahu's official partners remain War Cabinet His defense minister, Yoav Gallant, is Netanyahu’s rival in the conservative Likud party. Attempted to shoot last year; and Ron Dermer, a Netanyahu confidant with more diplomatic than political experience. It is unclear whether the committee will continue to play a role.
A separate, broader security cabinet includes two ultra-nationalist party leaders: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom want to resettle Israelis in Gaza.
Mr. Ben-Gvir and Mr. Smotrich Vows to overthrow Netanyahu government If he follows through with Israel’s offer of a ceasefire and hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as President Biden outlined a week ago, it would effectively end the war.
