Gantz resigned from the war cabinet, but seeing his speech and the fact that the war cabinet will continue regardless leaves little hope for any change for the better.
Benny Gantz resigns from Israel’s war cabinet
Centrist politician Benny Gantz resigned from Israel’s war cabinet, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more reliant on far-right allies.
“I’m proud of joining the emergency cabinet after the tragedy on October 7 befell us. But after eight months of combat we have to look forward,” Gantz told reporters. “Netanyahu knows what he must do and he must do it.”
Gantz also called on Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to “be brave and do what is right”.
“We are leaving the unity government with a heavy heart,” he said.
“I call upon the citizens of Israel who are serving in the army and the security apparatus to remain committed,” Benny Gantz told the media after announcing his resignation.
“In this war, more than 1,000 families have paid the ultimate price and thousands of soldiers have been injured on the battlefield. These are the true heroes and I see them in front of me in every step I take.
“There are families that lost their dearest children and their dearest people, including my partner, Gadi Eisenkot.”
“After October 7, we’ve shown our determination, we’ve shown our fortitude, we’ve shown our resilience and our ability to face any challenges. We will never return to October 6, not before our enemies and not domestically and I tell you with full confidence if we remain strong on the inside. We will be able to vanquish any enemy,” said Benny Gantz.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yaha Sinwar “does not care about his people, and he sees no problem whatsoever with his people being killed as far as we’re concerned. We will do everything in our power to bring our captives back home. We said behind closed doors what we need to do, these are very sensitive topics that I cannot discuss in public.”
“Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing to a real victory. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart,” Gantz said.
He called for early elections saying “there should be elections that will eventually establish a government that will win the trust of the people and be able to face challenges.”
Demonstrations against the Netanyahu-led government are important but must be lawful, he added. “The protests are important, however, they need to be conducted in a legal manner and they must not encourage hatred. We are not each other’s enemies. Our enemies are outside of our borders,” he told reporters.
“I will be part of a national unity government that includes all centrist parties and only that option will allow us to face all the challenges that stand before us, even with Netanyahu. Like I said, what we need is true and genuine unity and not partial unity.”
Netanyahu: ‘Not the time to abandon the battle’
Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a brief statement calling on Benny Gantz not to “abandon the front” after he announced he’s quitting the emergency government.
“Benny, this is not the time to abandon the battle – this is the time to join forces,” said Netanyahu.
His departure is not expected to bring down the government, a coalition including religious and ultra-nationalist parties, but it marks the first political blow to Netanyahu eight months into the Gaza war.
Gantz’ departure will not endanger the parliamentary majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset held by the ruling right-wing coalition.
Netanyahu said Israel’s future depends on continuing the war. “We are committed to absolute victory, and we do not want, nor can we afford, to leave the arena because the future of the state depends on it, and we have no choice but to do so. We are also committed to the release of hostages through various means, I will not delve into the details.”
‘No act less stately than withdrawing from the government’: Smotrich
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reacted to Benny Gantz’ resignation from Israel’s war cabinet by stating in a post on X, “There is no act less stately than withdrawing from the government during a war.”
“This is exactly what Sinwar, Nasrallah and Iran were aiming for, and unfortunately you are fulfilling their request,” Smotrich also said, referring to Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
“I call on all the leaders of the Zionist parties for whom the State of Israel is important to join the unity government until victory.”
