Benny Gantz, Israeli war minister has resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
He cited the Prime Minister’s actions as preventing Israel from advancing to true victory in the war effort as reason for his resignation.
“Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence,” Gantz said at a televised news conference on Sunday.
Gantz called for early elections, saying “there should be elections that will eventually establish a government that will win the trust of the people and be able to face challenges”.
“I call on Netanyahu: set an agreed election date.”
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Al Jazeera reported that last month Gantz threatened to leave the emergency government – formed last year to oversee the war on Gaza – if Netanyahu failed to present a post-war plan for the besieged and bombarded Palestinian territory, where Israel is continuing a ground and aerial bombardment campaign that has killed more than 37,000 people since October 7, according to Gaza health officials.
Demonstrations against the Netanyahu-led government are important but must be lawful, Gantz said.
“The protests are important, however, they need to be conducted in a legal manner and they must not encourage hatred. We are not each other’s enemies. Our enemies are outside of our borders,” he told reporters.
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“I will be part of a national unity government that includes all centrist parties and only that option will allow us to face all the challenges that stand before us, even with Netanyahu. Like I said, what we need is true and genuine unity and not partial unity.”
He however called on Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to “do what is right”.
Netanyahu issued a brief statement calling on Gantz not to “abandon the front”, but his departure will not endanger the parliamentary majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset held by the ruling right-wing coalition.
