June 9 (UPI) – Benny Gantz, an Israeli politician known for his centrist political views, resigned from Israel’s war cabinet as controversial ultranationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded his seat.
Gantz announced his resignation at press conference broadcast on social media in which he criticized the Prime Minister’s government Benjamin Netanyahu. He was a member of the war cabinet for eight months.
“We established a government of national freedom through a partnership of destiny, not a political partnership. Months after the October catastrophe, the situation in the country and in decision-making changed,” he said. “Netanyahu and his partners turned unity into an emotional appeal with no basis in reality.”
Gantz called on Israeli citizens serving in the military to “remain committed” to the country’s security.
“In this war, more than 1,000 families paid the ultimate price and thousands of soldiers were injured on the battlefield,” Gantz said.
Gantz’s dismissal from Israel’s war cabinet is significant because his departure deepens the political division within Netanyahu’s government, which is already tense due to differing views on the Gaza conflict.
Although Netanyahu’s coalition still holds a 64-member majority in the Knesset, the country’s parliament, his government will likely be destabilized by Gantz’s departure and face growing influence from those on the far right, such as Ben-Gvir.
The centrist Gantz has advocated a more measured approach than his peers, including a six-point plan for Gaza that emphasizes ending Hamas rule and establishing an international administration for the Palestinian territory. Still, he said Israel “will be able to defeat any enemy.”
“Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing to real victory. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart,” Gantz said. He said he would be part of a national unity government that included all centrist parties.
In a letter shared on social media, Ben-Gvir said he demanded that Netanyahu let him join the war cabinet.
“The time has come to make bold decisions, achieve real deterrence and bring security to residents of the south, the north and Israel as a whole,” said Ben-Gvir.
Avi Rosenfeld also on Sunday became the first military commander to resign since the start of the war in Gaza.
Rosenfield, a brigadier general, resigned in a letter to the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff and said he had “failed” in his mission to protect Israel, the Times of Israel reported.
“I intend to continue participating in the investigations and learning lessons, doing everything so that what happened on October 7th does not happen in the future,” said Rosenfeld.
He is the second senior officer to resign after the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate announced his resignation in April.
