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Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White party, speaks during an election campaign rally in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, February 25, 2020.
Is Israel’s government about to fall apart?
National Unity Chair Benny Gantz, a key figure in Israel’s war cabinet and major rival for the premiership, has threatened to resign if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not deliver a post-war plan for the conflict in Gaza by June 8.
Gantz has offered his own six-point plan, which calls for securing the return of hostages, ending Hamas’ rule, demilitarizing Gaza, and establishing an international administration of the region. The ultimatum has exposed a rift within Israel’s three-man war cabinet, composed of Gantz,Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who also opposes Israel reoccupying Gaza after the war ends.
“If you choose the path of fanatics and lead the entire nation to the abyss, we will be forced to quit the government,” Gantz told Netanyahu, who responded that Gantz’s “washed-up words” would mean “defeat for Israel.” Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure to end the conflict, with the latest protest in Tel Aviv coming just hours after Gantz’s ultimatum. Police used water cannons to disperse crowds that were demanding an end to the conflict and new elections.
What would an election bring?
A poll published this weekend by Israel’s Channel 12 puts Netanyahu’s job approval rating at 32%, and 35% among right-of-center Likud voters. Gantz garners a 35% overall job approval rating, and 42% among center-left voters. Another survey published by Maariv has Gantz leading Netanyahu for prime minister, 45% to 38%.
In the meantime, Netanyahu is unlikely to bend, and the Rafah offensive is likely to intensify. He also will be even more beholden to the far-right elements in his coalition to fend off potential challenges from Gallant and Gantz.
Demonstrators gather for a 24-hour protest at "Hostages Square" calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and to mark 100 days since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Disturbing Hamas footage sharpens focus on hostages in Gaza
As the Israel-Hamas War entered its hundredth day, Hamas broadcast a chilling video on Sunday of three Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Noa Argamani, Yossi Sharabi, and Itai Svirsky are seen pleading for their release, followed by the chyron: “Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate.” On Monday, Hamas released a video of Sharabi and Svirsky dead, with Argamani shown saying they were killed by strikes from the Israeli military.
Israeli officials immediately labeled the broadcast as “psychological warfare.” While not responding directly, IDF spokesman Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari acknowledged the risks to the hostages from Israel’s offensive operations and emphasized that they were being adapted “in accordance with the threats and the hostages who are in the field.”
Of the 240 people taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, nearly half were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Israel says 132 remain captive in Gaza and that 25 of them have died.
The hostage crisis has fractured public opinion and complicated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the crisis. While polls show that most Israelis support his aim of eliminating Hamas, more than 300,000 took to the streets of Tel Aviv this weekend, demanding Netanyahu secure another release deal “at any cost.”
The issue is also dividing Israel’s War Cabinet. Minister Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff whose son was killed fighting in Gaza, warned his colleagues that “we have to stop lying to ourselves, to show courage, and to lead to a large deal that will bring home the hostages.” Eisenkot’s position was reportedly supported by National Unity party head Benny Gantz and Shas party leader MK Aryeh Deri.
Netanyahu’s position remains that Hamas’ destruction will enable the hostages’ release. In response to the video, Israeli forces intensified their operations in Gaza, where an estimated 24,000 Palestinians have been killed since October. The latest bombardment included airstrikes on Gaza City in the north and shelling of the city of Khan Younis in the south.