'A bad government': Israel's Benny Gantz quits war cabinet, why it matters and why it doesn't

With the Israel-Hamas war continuing into its ninth month and with international pressure mounting on the Benjamin Netanyahu government to cease fire, a war cabinet member, Benny Gantz, has resigned. Centrist leader Gantz, the chairman of the National Unity party, had joined the war cabinet after the October 7 attack by Palestinian outfit Hamas, triggering an invasion of Gaza by Israel.

Announcing his resignation, Gantz accused Netanyahu of preventing Israel from achieving “true victory” in its war against Hamas. Having been under pressure to continue in the Netanyahu government as a counterweight to the ruling far-right party, Gantz had earlier demanded that the Israeli prime minister should accept an agreed-upon vision to end the Gaza war by June 8, which didn’t happen.

“After October 7, just like hundreds of thousands of patriotic Israelis, my colleagues and I mobilized as well and joined the coalition, even though we knew it was a bad government,” Gantz averred in a televised statement on Sunday. “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,” he added.

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Accuses Netanyahu of putting his political interest to the forefront

In his statement, the Israeli minister who was touted as a major challenger for Netanyahu noted that he was quitting eight months after the October 7 Hamas attacks because “the situation in the country and in the decision-making room has changed.”

He went on to accuse the Israeli premier of putting his own personal political considerations ahead of a post-war strategy for the Gaza Strip and claimed that the “fateful strategic decisions are met with hesitancy and procrastination due to political considerations". Finally, he urged the prime minister to hold an election in the coming months.

“I call on Netanyahu: set an agreed election date. Do not let our people be torn apart,” Gantz said. Last month, he gave an ultimatum to the Netanyahu administration to lay out a new plan for the war against Hamas by June 8.

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‘This is not the time’: Netanyahu reacts

Gantz’s resignation came despite Netanyahu’s frequent requests to him to stay in the emergency government, insisting that it is time for unity and not division. Even after his announcement, Netanyahu urged Gantz to change his mind.

“Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign – this is the time to join forces,” Netanyahu said to Gantz in a post on X. “Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and all the goals of the war have been achieved, most importantly, the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” he added.

לפני שעות אחדות מדינת ישראל כולה ליוותה בכאב ובהצדעה את גיבור ישראל ארנון זמורה ז״ל.

ישראל נמצאת במלחמה קיומית בכמה חזיתות. בני, זה לא הזמן לנטוש את המערכה - זה הזמן לאחד את הכוחות.

אזרחי ישראל, נמשיך עד לניצחון והשגת כל מטרות המלחמה, ובראשן שחרור כל חטופינו וחיסול החמאס.

דלתי…

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 9, 2024

The Israeli premier stated that his door would remain open to any political party that is ready to share the burden in fighting the war against Hamas. It is pertinent to note that Gantz’s decision does not put Netanyahu’s government in immediate danger.

Why it matters and why it doesn’t? 

Gantz’s resignation throws light on three areas of consideration - the Israeli government, the running of the war with Hamas, and Gantz’s own political prospects.

The Israeli Minister’s National Unity party was not part of the prime minister’s coalition, which retains a majority with 64 seats in the 120-member Knesset. However, it would leave the war cabinet without representation from any party other than Netanyahu’s Likud.

Hence, Gantz’s departure won’t cause the government to collapse but it would leave the war cabinet lopsided. The resignation would also mean that it would be easier to negotiate a hostage deal with only one party in the picture and then Netanyahu could safely stay in office till elections are due in October 2026. However, the opinion polls suggest that if the elections are conducted this year Gantz would win it.

Interestingly, for the Palestinian side, a Gantz-free government means that at best, things won’t get any worse. With Gantz being “no dove”, his “moderate” stance rarely made Israel go easy on Hamas or caused a decrease in Palestinian casualties. However, with Netanyahu being adamant about his end goals, Gantz’s departure would mean that there is less likelihood of a hostage deal being consummated any time soon.

With inputs from agencies.