Host Scott Detrow:
A key member of Israel’s war cabinet has resigned. Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Netanyahu of not having a strategy to replace Hamas in Gaza. Now he’s calling for Israel to hold early elections in the fall. NPR’s Daniel Estrin joins us now from Tel Aviv. Hey Daniel.
DANIEL ESTLING, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
DETROW: Why did Gantz resign at this time?
ESTRIN: He gave a speech in which he said, months after the war broke out, he had been unable to influence the direction Israel was going. He said Netanyahu is preventing us from achieving real victory. He said he wanted to tell the Israeli people the truth and that this campaign, the war, would last for years. There are no easy and quick wins. He said Netanyahu was putting his own political survival ahead of the fate of Israeli hostages in Gaza. He was referring to a deal backed by President Joe Biden to end the war and free hostages in Gaza. Netanyahu did not accept the deal because his far-right political partners threatened to bring down the government because it would mean the war would end, and the far-right wanted to see the war continue.
So Gantz is resigning. He implicitly called on the defense minister, a like-minded politician in the war cabinet, to resign as well. Gantz said new elections should be held before the fall.
DETROW: The fact that when the war started, Netanyahu did expand the right-wing government through a war cabinet that included Gantz, that was a big deal. It does give him a lot of political cover. What is the significance of Ganz resigning at this time?
Estrin: Yes. that’s right. I mean, what this means now is that Netanyahu is relying solely on his far-right and religious associates and no longer has the moderate influence that Gantz is thought to have. His resignation would not topple Netanyahu’s government or lead to new elections, as Netanyahu does have a coalition majority and an absolute majority. His government can continue. But Gantz does want to jump-start the momentum and see if it can ultimately lead to new elections and the overthrow of Netanyahu’s government. Polls suggest Gantz will defeat Netanyahu in the election.
I think Gantz’s resignation now reflects a greater frustration among a large part of Israeli society with the way the war is being fought, and a lack of confidence in Netanyahu, who doesn’t even have a strategy to end the war. So there is a big problem. Will this, for example, spark protests in Israeli society, growing calls for elections, or even a reckoning with the failure to prevent October 7 and the outbreak of war? Today, we have seen the resignation of a senior Israeli military officer over his failure to protect Israelis during the October 7 attacks.
DETROW: You mentioned that President Biden pushed for this ceasefire plan. What impact does this resignation have on this attempt, other ceasefire attempts, and the broader attempt to end the war?
Estrin: I think it might make it harder for the United States to actually push for President Biden’s ceasefire deal because Gantz is the most vocal supporter of it. He particularly likes Biden’s proposal to establish relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, believing that this is a way out of the war and is Israel’s strategic future. But we see no progress on the ceasefire. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the region, but he will not bring Gantz into the inner circle to push for such a deal.
DETROW: NPR’s Daniel Estrin is in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.
Estrin: You’re welcome.
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