Two of Israel's 3 War Cabinet Members Turn Against Netanyahu

Tuesday Digest (05.21.24)

Gantz Ultimatum Puts Pressure on Netanyahu

Lost in the news over the weekend about the death of Iran’s president and the ICC request for arrest warrants is another potentially huge story in Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu’s War Cabinet is beginning to turn against him.

Two members of this cabinet are calling for Netanyahu to deliver a plan for the administration of Gaza after the war:

On Saturday, Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet and Netanyahu’s main political rival, said he would leave the government on June 8 if it did not formulate a new war plan including an international, Arab and Palestinian administration to handle civilian affairs in Gaza.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the third member of the Cabinet, has also called for a plan for Palestinian administration, and said in a speech this week that he wouldn’t agree to Israel governing Gaza itself.

Keep in mind there are only three members of the War Cabinet, plus Netanyahu. It is a very big deal that two of the members—Gallant and Gantz—are publicly saying Netanyahu is failing as a leader, and that he has been at war for more than seven months without a good strategy.

The United States is also putting pressure on Netanyahu, asking for a “revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza with assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states,” moving toward an eventual two-state solution.