Israel’s war cabinet member Benny Gantz has threatened to leave Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if the prime minister does not present a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Gantz called on the cabinet to agree a six-point plan that sets out a vision for the governance of the besieged strip once the conflict ends.
The Israeli politician, former defense minister, said that if his demands were not met, he would withdraw his centrist party from the emergency unity government formed last year to oversee the war in Gaza.
Gantz is seen as Netanyahu’s main political rival in Israel. He was a leading figure in the opposition before joining the war cabinet.
His ultimatum deepened fissures within the Israeli government and increased growing pressure against Netanyahu, in a context of growing national and international criticism of his policies in Gaza.
Gantz’s plan calls for the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, the demilitarization of the territory and the formation of an international coalition with “American, European, Arab and Palestinian elements” to oversee its civil affairs.
Echoing Netanyahu’s position, Gantz said that neither Hamas nor Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas can govern Gaza after the war.
The demilitarization of Gaza would require the complete dismantling of Hamas’ military wing, something the Israeli military has failed to achieve after 225 days of fighting. The position also corresponds to Netanyahu’s frequent calls for “total victory”.
Still, Gantz launched a veiled attack on the prime minister and his far-right allies. “If we choose the path of fanatics and lead the entire nation into the abyss – we will be forced to resign from the government,” he said.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza killed more than 35,000 people and destroyed much of the besieged enclave. More than 100 Israeli prisoners remain in the territory.
Talks to reach a ceasefire and prisoner agreement between Israel and Hamas appear to have stalled, with Netanyahu’s government rejecting Palestinian demands to end the war in Gaza.
In a previous agreement – brokered by the United States and Qatar – some 134 captives were released in November; Israel has also released dozens of Palestinian prisoners, including children.
Gantz’s request is one of the strongest manifestations of the growing tension within the war cabinet. In another rare public dispute, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said on Thursday that Israel should not be involved in governing Gaza when the fighting ends.
“What we have seen increasingly in recent days is that there is huge disagreement among members of the war cabinet over the plan for Gaza,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Mohamed Jamjoom.
“And this also reflects the concerns of the US government, which has repeatedly stated that Netanyahu needs to try to devise a plan for a post-war scenario in Gaza,” he added.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken chided Israel for its lack of a plan in some of its strongest public criticisms.
“First, there needs to be a clear and credible plan to protect civilians, which we have not yet seen. Secondly, we also need to see a plan for what will happen after this conflict in Gaza ends, and we haven’t seen that yet,” he said.
In addition to opposition within his own government, Netanyahu is also facing growing demonstrations in cities across Israel.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to demand the prime minister’s resignation, citing his failure to bring back captives and his handling of the war.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also participated in Saturday’s protests, promising to work for the downfall of Netanyahu’s government and the return of Israeli captives. In a social media post, Lapid – himself a former prime minister – later called the current cabinet “the worst government in the country’s history.”
The families of the captives gathered in front of the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv and called on Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of staff of the army and current member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet, to replace the prime minister .
“How much more blood will be shed because you lack the courage to do the right thing? It is your duty to expose the truth, it is your moral obligation to quickly remove Netanyahu from power, because he is abandoning the hostages to death,” the Hareetz newspaper reported, citing the families at the press conference.
“The only way to rescue all hostages is to stop this war, as part of a comprehensive agreement signed for a hostage release agreement,” the group added.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
