Israel has 'just one PM', Netanyahu tells Benny Gantz after his 'unauthorised' trip to US

About five months into Israel’s conflict with Hamas, a top Israeli Cabinet minister left for Washington on Sunday to meet with American officials, prompting a scolding from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli official said. This move was indicative of growing divisions inside Israel’s wartime government.

Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who sided with Netanyahu’s hard-line government early in the conflict after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, is currently traveling. Netanyahu and President Joe Biden are deeply at odds over how to lessen Palestinian suffering in Gaza and develop a post-war vision for the enclave.

A representative of the Israeli administration stated that Israel did not send a delegation to the ongoing negotiations in Egypt to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza because of Netanyahu.

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International peacemakers aim to negotiate a settlement by approximately March 10, when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts.

The deaths of scores of Palestinians last week who were trying to rush an Israeli-organized convoy to get food spurred the United States to airdrop aid into Gaza on Saturday. The airdrops get around an assistance delivery system that has been impeded by conflict inside the small enclave, logistical problems in Gaza, and Israeli limitations. Aid workers claim that aid delivered by trucks is significantly more effective than aid dropped by air.

The ultranationalists in Netanyahu’s hard-line Cabinet have made U.S. aims in the region more difficult. There are moments when Netanyahu’s far-right friends are countered by Gantz’s more moderate party.

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A Likud party official close to Netanyahu claimed that Gantz didn’t have permission to visit.

The official said Netanyahu had a “tough talk” with Gantz about the trip and told him the country has “just one prime minister.”

According to an Israeli official, Gantz coordinated messages with Netanyahu after telling him about his plan to visit the United States. According to the official, the purpose of the visit is to fortify relations with Washington, increase backing for Israel’s ground assault, and advocate for the release of Israeli hostages detained in Gaza.

According to his National Unity party, Gantz is scheduled to meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the dispute with the media.

According to most opinion polls, Netanyahu’s popularity has plummeted since the war began. Many Israelis hold him accountable for the Hamas cross-border raid, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping and transfer of about 250 people, including women, children, and elderly people, into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians, at least 30,410 Palestinians have died as a result of the subsequent fighting, with women and children making up around two-thirds of the casualties. Approximately 80% of the 2.3 million people living there have left their homes, and hundreds of thousands are reportedly in danger of starvation according to U.N. organizations.

Netanyahu disputes the accusation that political factors have influenced his decision-making. Particularly targeted for criticism are the plans for Gaza after the war. Netanyahu recently unveiled a plan that would give Israel unrestricted security control over the region while local Palestinians would handle civilian matters.

The United States envisions a reorganized Palestinian government overseeing Gaza with an eye toward future statehood, and it wants to see progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Hardliners in Netanyahu’s government disagree with that vision. Another senior Cabinet member from Gantz’s party has expressed doubts about how the war is being managed and the plan for releasing the captives.

An impending deadline for a new bill to expand the number of ultra-Orthodox Jews who can enroll in the military has also unsettled Netanyahu’s administration, which is the most orthodox and religious in Israel history. Many of these Jews are exempt from having to undertake religious studies. Since October 7, hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died, and the armed forces are trying to bolster their numbers.

Polls indicate that Gantz would garner enough support to win the prime ministership if today’s elections were held, but he hasn’t made clear what position he has on Palestinian statehood.

If the hostage situation improves after the visit, Gantz’s backing may grow even more. According to a senior U.S. official on Saturday, Israel has virtually approved the general structure of a planned cease-fire and hostage-release agreement for Gaza; Hamas must now accept it. He briefed reporters under ground rules established by the White House, under which he talked on condition of anonymity.

Israelis have mostly supported the war effort as a self-defense measure, despite growing international opposition to the battle, having been severely traumatized by Hamas’ onslaught.

However, more and more people are voicing their disappointment with Netanyahu. According to Israeli media, about 10,000 people demonstrated late on Saturday to demand early elections. In recent weeks, these protests have increased.

Reuven Hazan, a political science professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, predicted that wider protests by the public, which was already dissatisfied with the government before Hamas struck, would break out if the political divisions deepen and Gantz leaves the cabinet.

“There is a lot of anger,” he said, listing grievances that were building well before Oct. 7. “The moment you have that anger and a coalition that is disconnected from the people, there will be fireworks.”

As fighting continued in Gaza, over thirty people—including women and children—were killed by Israeli strikes late on Saturday, according to local health sources.

Dr. Marwan al-Hams, the director of the hospital where the remains were transferred, stated that at least 14 people were murdered in an attack on a house in the southernmost city of Rafah, which is bordered by Egypt. He claimed that the deceased belonged to the same family and included six children and four women. 9 more people, according to relatives, were buried beneath the debris.

Additionally, 17 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes that struck two houses in the populated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the Civil Defense.