FALCON POWERS – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not have to wait long before responding to the speech of Defense Minister Gantz, followed by a number of his ministers who attacked the latter, thus declaring the start of a new battle for the awareness of Israelis, who are stuck between two ideas; the first calls for an immediate ceasefire, the return of the abductees, and cooperation with the great American deal, versus the idea of pursuing it until the defeat of “Hamas” and sparing Israel a serious defeat.
Days after the declared enmity between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant, who warned in his voice and image of an Israeli military and civilian rule in the Gaza Strip, and of mixing the accounts of the state with factional political interests, Gantz’s speech came, in which he announced, in a press conference yesterday, a warning or threat to leave the government if Netanyahu did not respond to his request to present a plan composed of six points: the return of the abductees, the overthrow of “Hamas” and the disarmament of Gaza, the determination of an authority alternative in the Strip: American, European and Arab, the return of the displaced in the north until September 1st, and the promotion of normalization.
He justified his issuance of this statement by saying that “factional political calculations may have crept into the sanctum sanctorum: Israel’s security”, and this is an arrow directed at Netanyahu, who is originally accused by wide Israeli circles of mixing accounts to serve his personal interests. The timing of the warning
There is no doubt that the increase in criticism of Israeli observers of Gantz, the deterioration of his popularity and his party in the polls, prompted him to issue this warning, which came to prepare and justify practically his exit from the government, as he realizes that Netanyahu will not respond to any of his six points.
Voices criticizing Gantz have risen among the Israeli opposition to Netanyahu, as he has persisted in empty threats for months without implementation, even though the war has entered its eighth month without any visible results on the horizon, and its cost is exorbitant (casualties and injuries, deaths of detainees in Gaza, and the continued bleeding of the displaced in the north and south, etc.). This is indicated by a sarcastic caricature in “Yedioth Ahronoth” today, in which Gantz stands opposite Netanyahu, wearing a red tie, drawing a red line, and with many red lines behind him.
In addition to the internal pressures, it appears that external pressures have played a role in pushing Gantz to this almost certain gradual exit from the government. It is inconceivable that he would initiate this statement without consulting with the American administration, which is betting on him to replace Netanyahu, and without coordinating with Defense Minister Gallant, who shares his vision. This is in addition to pressures coming from the world and from Israel’s friendly countries, which now seem to see it as a “thug and a drunkard who has lost control,” as the Israeli reserve general Yisrael Ziv says. All of this is taking place against the backdrop of the “International Court of Justice” deliberating on new requests to compel Israel to stop the war on Gaza, and amid a frantic American effort to complete a major political deal in the region, which is being deployed in Biden’s election campaign, with Netanyahu standing as an obstacle to it today.
Despite the fact that Gantz is also not free from populist discourse in which he bids from the right against Netanyahu, not wanting “Hamas” or Abbas, and rejecting the idea of a two-state solution, he is enthusiastic about the American vision calling for an immediate ceasefire and a subsequent move to eliminate “Hamas”, and progress towards a political deal that includes normalization with Saudi Arabia and entry into an open-ended negotiation process towards the “two-state” solution.
