Divisions and disagreements within the Israeli cabinet over the conduct and priorities of the war against Hamas have increased since the start of the crisis.
Now they have boiled over, revealing a new level of public vitriol – as well as an ultimatum from one of the three members of the war cabinet – as the seven-month conflict potentially enters a new phase.
On Saturday (18), Benny Gantz, the leader of the National Unity Party, who joined the war cabinet after the Hamas attack in October, demanded by June 8 the adoption of a six-point plan. This plan would guarantee the return of Israeli hostages, the demobilization of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
It would also lead to the creation of an alternative government for Gaza, “an American-European-Arab-Palestinian administration” that would “lay the foundation for a future alternative other than Hamas or [Mahmoud] Abbas,” the president of the Palestinian Authority.
Gantz's plan would also guarantee the return of residents displaced by attacks by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon, and measures to ensure that ultra-Orthodox Jews can be called up for military service just like any other citizen. This has been a red line for the religious right in the Israeli cabinet.
In a targeted attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz, who is widely seen as a leading candidate to be Israel's next leader, added that “personal and political considerations have begun to penetrate the holy of holies of Israel's security.”
“If they decide to take the nation to the abyss, we will withdraw from the government, return to the people and form a government that can bring true victory. Unity cannot be a fig leaf for stagnation in campaign management,” added Gantz.
Within hours, accusations began to emerge, revealing the fissures in Israeli politics and the personal animosities that permeate the government.
The prime minister's office reacted. “The conditions established by Benny Gantz are failed words whose meaning is clear: the end of the war and a defeat for Israel, the abandonment of the majority of hostages, leaving Hamas intact and the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said in a statement.
A far-right cabinet member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, said Gantz was “a small leader and a big cheat, who, from the first moment he entered the government, has mainly tried to dismantle it.” .
He added: “Whoever offers the ultra-Orthodox a conscription law in exchange for dissolving the government and now shouts slogans about responsibility is a hypocrite and a liar.”
From a very different point of view, opposition leader Yair Lapid said Gantz should act now.
“No more press conferences, no more empty ultimatums, leave! If you were not in government, we would already be in the post-Netanyahu and Ben Gvir era,” he said.
Gantz's attack did not come in isolation. Last week, the third member of the war cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, spoke of decisions that, according to him, should have been taken at the beginning of the war. He also said: “I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Israel must not establish a civilian regime in Gaza.”
Illusion of unity destroyed
It is in this context of internecine war that Israeli troops continue to fight in Gaza, without knowing how their mission will end or any plan for the next day after the end of the conflict.
Gantz himself referenced this on Saturday, saying that “although Israeli soldiers demonstrate supreme bravery at the front – some of the people who sent them into battle behave with cowardice and irresponsibility.”
Israeli commentators said on Sunday (19) that the illusion of unity within the cabinet that was promoted in the initial phase of the conflict has been shattered.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday that the comments were notable because, for the first time, “Gantz publicly accused the prime minister of prioritizing his political survival over the nation's interests. For the first time, he set a clear deadline for remaining in government.”
Writing in Haaretz, Anshel Pfeffer said that whoever wrote Gantz's speech “did nothing more than recycle the dozens of leaks of information about divisions within the war cabinet in recent months.”
Pfeffer, author of the unauthorized biography “Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu”, says that the result, at the end of a week of political turmoil, is that “of the three members of the war cabinet, two have now publicly accused the third member, Netanyahu, of not having a strategy for a war that has already lasted seven and a half months”.
Despite all this, Pfeffer and other analysts say the status quo may persist, because for Netanyahu, the presence of Gantz and Gallant in the three-man war cabinet provides protection against the right-wing members of the larger cabinet.
Some of them want Israel to rebuild settlements in Gaza and a much more aggressive approach in the north. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who wants the Israeli military to take control of Gaza after the liquidation of Hamas, also called on Sunday for Israeli forces to enter and establish a security zone in southern Lebanon in the event of Israeli rocket attacks. Hezbollah continue.
On Saturday night, Gantz told Netanyahu: “Tonight I look into your eyes and tell you: the choice is in your hands.” He said the moment of truth had arrived.
Did it really arrive? During the next three weeks, the compromise could still keep the war cabinet intact. And Gantz is not part of the broader coalition government, meaning his potential withdrawal from the war cabinet would not automatically trigger the collapse of Netanyahu's government.
However, it would leave the prime minister more exposed to the demands of far-right members of his cabinet.
All of this comes at a time of daily protests in Israel, from those calling for immediate elections to those demanding a guarantee that the release of hostages is the absolute priority, and those who want an end to further humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
And at a time when the Israeli military is fighting in the north, center and south of Gaza, and preparing for what could be the most difficult phase of the campaign so far.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
