A minister in the Netanyahu government has threatened to resign if it does not present a post-war plan for Gaza

Israeli Minister Benny Gantz has threatened Benjamin Netanyahu that he will quit the war cabinet if the prime minister does not present a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8. Gantz is one of three members of the war cabinet, along with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, that was created specifically after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The decision could further increase divisions in the Israeli executive, after more than seven months of offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and without achieving either of the two main objectives: the defeat of Palestinian militias and the killing of more than a hundred Return. Israeli hostages who have been kidnapped.

According to ‘Haaretz’, Gantz announced in an appearance this Saturday, “Prime Minister Netanyahu, tonight I am writing to you to tell you: The decision is in your hands.” “The Netanyahu of a decade ago would have done the right thing. Are you ready to do the right and patriotic thing now?”

A proposal with six clear objectives

The plan Gantz requested from the War Cabinet includes six specific objectives, ranging from the return of remaining hostages in Gaza to the end of the Hamas government in the Strip and the complete demilitarization of the region. To date, 35,300 Palestinians have been killed and another 79,400 injured in the Israeli offensive, according to the Health Ministry.

In his proposal for a settlement of the Gaza Strip after the conflict ends, Gantz called for the creation of a joint administration between the United States, the European Union, Arab countries, and Palestine to “manage Gaza’s civilian affairs and lay the groundwork for its future.” Has also been proposed. government authorities.

The plan also includes one of the aspects that previously threatened to split the Israeli government, mandatory military service for all citizens, as well as a commitment to normalize diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

“The people of Israel are watching you”

“If you choose the path of fanaticism and lead the entire country into the abyss, we will be forced to leave the government,” said Minister Gantz, a political rival of Netanyahu in recent years. “The people of Israel are watching you. He said, “You have to choose between Zionism and skepticism, between unity and division, between responsibility and chaos, and between victory and disaster.”

Netanyahu responded this Saturday and assured that Gantz’s demands would mean Israel’s defeat. This ultimatum comes after Gantz had already publicly contradicted the prime minister, opposing any government of a military nature in the Gaza Strip after the fighting subsides and demanding a post-war plan.

The differences with Gallant and Gantz have thus increased the pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister. If he grants his request to clarify the future of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu would lose the support of his ultra-nationalist allies in the government, who defend the definitive annexation of Gaza in order to incorporate the territory into Israel. .

“Personal and political considerations have begun to overshadow Israel’s national security,” Gantz said this Saturday, accusing the country’s leadership of being “hijacked by a small minority.” Opponents of the prime minister have also recently accused him of continuing the offensive at the expense of a deal to free the hostages, in order to avoid facing elections in Israel.

In recent weeks, Netanyahu has greenlighted an attack on Rafah, the last enclave in the Gaza Strip, where more than a million Palestinians are estimated to have taken refuge. The US and several European leaders have warned Israel about the danger the offensive poses to civilian lives, but Netanyahu has said he is prepared to proceed without their support.

In Israel, the prime minister also faces protests, leading thousands of demonstrators every weekend to demand an agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages. This Saturday, Israel confirmed the discovery of the body of another of the kidnapped people, following the recovery of all three on Friday.

“The Israeli government must focus on the only mission that matters: sending a negotiation team this afternoon and fighting for (the hostages’) return home,” the Forum of the Families of the Disappeared announced in a statement Saturday.