Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz has quit the emergency government in a sign of deepening divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's post-conflict plans for the Gaza Strip.
At a news conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday where he announced his resignation, Gantz said the decision was made with a “heavy heart.”
“Unfortunately, Prime Minister Netanyahu is preventing us from getting closer to the real victory that justifies this painful and ongoing crisis,” he said.
Gantz, seen by some as a potential challenger to Israeli power, has urged Netanyahu to set a date for elections.
Prime Minister Netanyahu responded with a post on
Opposition leader Yair Lapid supported Mr Gantz's decision on social media, calling it “important and right”.
Immediately after this announcement, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gbir called for participation in the war cabinet.
Mr Ben Gvir is part of a right-wing coalition that has threatened to quit and collapse the government if Israel accepts a cease-fire offer put forward by US President Joe Biden.
Last month, Prime Minister Gantz set a June 8 deadline to present to Prime Minister Netanyahu how Israel would achieve six “strategic goals,” including ending Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip and establishing a multinational civilian government.
The prime minister dismissed the remarks at the time as “fabricated words” that meant “Israel's defeat.”
Mr. Gantz, a retired army general and frequent critic of Mr. Netayanhu, was a member of Israel's key decision-making “war cabinet” along with Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
