Israel's Benny Gantz threatens to quit war cabinet by June 8 if Netanyahu fails to accept post-war Gaza plan

As the ongoing Israel-Hamas war continues to escalate, the Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has threatened to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to adopt the “agreed plan” for Gaza.

During a press conference, Gantz made it clear that if a plan for postwar governance of the territory is not formulated and approved by June 8 his National Unity party will withdraw its support to the coalition government.

The press briefing was conducted just hours after the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said that it had recovered the bodies of four hostages who were held captive by Hamas after the terror group launched a lethal attack in southern Israel on October 7.

“Personal and political considerations have begun to enter the most sacred parts of Israel’s defence,” Gantz told reporters on Saturday. “Prime Minister Netanyahu, I look you in the eye tonight and tell you: the choice is in your hands. The Netanyahu of a decade ago would have done the right thing. Are you willing to do the right and patriotic thing today?" he asked.

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Gantz insisted that the people of Israel were watching Netanyahu. “You must choose between Zionism and cynicism, between unity and factionalism, between responsibility and lawlessness – and between victory and disaster.”

Lack of planning leads to impatience 

Gantz’s proclamation came days after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged Netanyahu to set out a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip. He insisted that the lack of planning is eroding the gains of the war and is putting Israel’s long-term security at stake.

On Thursday, Gallant said that he would not permit any solution where Israeli military or civil governance were in the territory. His comments were immediately backed by Gantz, plunging Israel’s leadership into a highly public row.

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Meanwhile, in his warning to the Israeli premier, Gantz demanded a six-point plan. The “six strategic goals” are as follows:

2. “Bring the hostages home”

3. “Topple Hamas rule, demilitarize the Gaza Strip and gain Israeli security control [over Gaza].”

4. Create an International civilian governance mechanism for Gaza with the help of the US, Europe and Arab. This would provide a future alternative to Hamas in the coastal enclave.

5. “Return residents of the north to their homes by September 1, and rehabilitate the western Negev."

6. “Advance normalization with Saudi Arabia."

7. “Adopt a framework for [military/national] service under which all Israelis will serve the state and contribute to the national effort.”

Warning that steps should be taken to avoid a “long and harsh existential war — even harder than we have known to date," Gantz said that the choice for Israel’s future was in Netanyahu’s hands.

Netanayhu’s reaction 

Shortly after the press conference, the Israeli premier released a statement via his office in which he accused his coalition partner of “issuing an ultimatum to the prime minister instead of issuing an ultimatum to Hamas.”

“Gantz’s demands would mean an end to the war and defeat for Israel, abandoning the majority of the hostages, leaving Hamas in power, and creating a Palestinian state,” the statement claimed.

The Israeli Prime Minister went on to pose three counter-questions to Gantz:

2. Does Gantz want to see the operation in Rafah through to its end, and if so, why is he threatening to topple the unity government during the IDF operation?

3. Does he oppose Palestinian Authority rule in Gaza, even if Mahmoud Abbas is not involved?

4. Would he support a Palestinian state as part of a normalization process with Saudi Arabia?

Netanyahu insisted that the Unity government was the key to achieving the war aims and asked Gantz to make his position clear.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu is determined to eliminate the Hamas battalions,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated. “He opposes bringing the Palestinian Authority into Gaza, and establishing a Palestinian state that will inevitably be a terror state.”

Gantz immediately hit back at Netanyahu releasing a statement from his office.

“If the prime minister had listened to Gantz,” said the former defence ministers and chief of staff’s office, “we would have gone into Rafah months ago and finished the mission. We must finish it and create the necessary conditions for that.”

The Palestinian Authority should not rule Gaza, Gantz said in response to the second question. However, he maintained that other Palestinians could rule Gaza with the help of Arab states and the US. “The prime minister should deal with this and not torpedo these efforts,” he said.

Responding to the final question, Gantz maintained that the creation of the Palestinian state was never demanded by Saudis and made it clear that he would not back such a state.

The warning, questions and back and forth reflected the cracks in Netanyahu’s highly ambitious war cabinet.