Netanyahu Responds After Benny Gantz Resigns

Moments after Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz resigned on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "now is not the time to abandon the fight, it is time to combine powers," according to a translation by The Jerusalem Post.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led the deadliest militant attack on Israel in history, killing some 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. Israel then subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes and ground offensive against Gaza, displacing nearly 2 million Palestinians and killing over 35,000, according to local health officials. About half of the hostages were freed during a temporary ceasefire in November.

Gantz, who has criticized the Israeli government's lack of post-war plans in the eight-month conflict and joined Netanyahu's emergency government following Hamas' attack, issued his resignation on Sunday evening, stating in a televised address, "Netanyahu is preventing us from moving forward to a real victory." He also criticized the prime minister of not putting Israel's needs, including hostage recovery, "above political survival."

Last month, Gantz warned he would quit by June 8 if the government did not adopt a sufficient post-war plan.

His plan included the return of hostages in Gaza, demilitarizing the region and ending Hamas' control over it, and supporting efforts to normalize Israel-Saudi Arabia relations. The plan would also set up a temporary U.S.-European-Arab-Palestinian system of civil administration for Gazans while Israel retains security control.

Gantz also asked for the return of north Israeli residents who were evacuated from their homes and the rehabilitation of Gaza border communities. The Israeli official wanted all Israeli citizens to be able to be drafted as well. Currently, ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from the draft.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement at the time responding to Gantz's ultimatum, "While our heroic soldiers are fighting to destroy Hamas battalions in Rafah, Gantz chooses to issue an ultimatum to the Prime Minister instead of issuing an ultimatum to Hamas."

Gantz's office said in response at the time to Netanyahu's office's statement, "Had the Prime Minister listened to Gantz, we would have entered Rafah months ago and finished the mission. If the emergency government is important to the prime minister, he should hold the necessary discussions, make the necessary decisions, and not drag his feet for fear of the extremists in his government."

On Sunday, before leaving his post, Gantz requested that Netanyahu set a date for elections, "There should be elections that will eventually establish a government that will win the trust of the people and be able to face challenges." He also urged the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, "Do not let our nation tear apart."

Newsweek has reached out to Gantz for comment via email on Sunday.

Netanyahu has held the office three times from 1996 to 1999, 2009 to 2021, and since 2022. Politicians and protestors have called upon Netanyahu to hold early elections, with the next parliamentary elections slated for October 2026.

Gantz's resignation comes a day after Israel rescued four hostages in an operation that killed 274 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. Gantz was slated to give his resignation yesterday, on his previously stated June 8 date, but his announcement was postponed due to the hostage rescue. In his resignation speech, he apologized to the hostages' families and sought forgiveness, "We did a lot, but we failed."

Upon his resignation, Netanyahu posted on X, formerly Twitter, a national call and wrote: "Citizens of Israel, we will keep fighting until victory and the achievement of all of the goals of the war, first of which is to free all of our hostages and to eliminate Hamas."

He added: "My door will stay open to any Zionist party that is willing to share the burden and help bring victory over our enemies and ensure the safety of our citizens," according to The Jerusalem Post's translation.

Gantz's departure does not upset the balance of the coalition government, as he was not a member of Netanyahu's Likud right-wing political party. However, his exit leaves only Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu, both members of Likud, as sitting members of the War Cabinet.

Former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, Minister Gadi Eisenkot, who was an observer on the War cabinet, reportedly also resigned, drawing praise from opposition leader Yair Lapid on X.

Newsweek has reached out to Israel's press office and the U.S. State Department for comment via email Sunday.

Update 6/9/2024, 3:48 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information

Update 6/9/2024, 3:12 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

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