The main member of the Israeli war cabinet, Benny Gantz, resigned from Israel’s emergency government this Sunday (9).
“Leaving government is a complex and painful decision,” Gantz said in a televised statement.
His resignation is a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces growing pressure to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Gantz, who is seen as Netanyahu’s main political rival, was expected to resign on Saturday (8), the deadline he gave to leave the government if the prime minister did not present a new plan for the war in Gaza and the future of the Palestinian territory.
He postponed a news conference when reports emerged of the Israeli operation to rescue four hostages in central Gaza.
Gantz’s departure comes at a time of daily mass protests in Israel, with many protesters calling for immediate elections and the release of hostages, and some wanting an end to allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Netanyahu also faces growing domestic political pressure from the country’s far right, as the US and some Israelis pressure him to accept a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The Gantz action does not take away Netanyahu’s majority in the country’s legislature, because Gantz is not part of the ruling coalition, but it risks increasing isolation for the pressured premier on the international stage.
*in update
Source: CNN Brasil
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