Benny Gantz gives Netanyahu 3-week ultimatum

Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. (Res.) [*] Benny Gantz, head of the centrist Blue and White party, is not only a (reluctant) member of the coalition but also one of the “War Cabinet” triumvirate consisting of Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gen-Maj. (Res.) Yoav Gallant, and himself.

Now Gantz, exasperated with Netanyahu’s foot-dragging on particularly “the day after”, has laid out an ultimatum with six conditions for his continued participation in the coalition (quoted from the article):

1. “Bring the hostages home. “
2.  “Topple Hamas rule, demilitarize the Gaza Strip and gain Israeli security control [over Gaza].”
3.  Alongside that Israeli security control, “create an international civilian governance mechanism for Gaza, including American, European, Arab and Palestinian elements — which will also serve as a basis for a future alternative that is not Hamas and is not [Palestinian Authority President] Abbas.”
4. “Return residents of the north [who were evacuated due to Hezbollah attacks] to their homes by September 1, and rehabilitate the western Negev [adjacent to Gaza, targeted by Hamas on October 7].”
5. “Advance normalization with Saudi Arabia as part of a comprehensive process to create an alliance with the free world and the West against Iran and its allies.”
6. “Adopt a framework for [military/national] service under which all Israelis will serve the state and contribute to the national effort.”

Netanyahu on his own likely agrees with nearly all of this — contrary to his public image in the west, he is actually a pragmatic moderate on a personal level. However, because of his greatest personal weakness — his obsession with holding on to the PM’s chair at all cost, and hence being completely beholden to the fervently Orthodox parties and the extreme nationalists who are his few remaining allies (largely by default, since no other plausible PM wants them at all):

• 6. is a nonstarter as the fervently Orthodox will bolt the coalition
• 5. has been conditioned by Saudi Arabia on some path to progress toward a “Palestinian state”. Israeli enthusiasm for this has never been lower (October 7 having convinced even dyed-in-the-wool peaceniks that such a state would become a terror base), but the Saudi strongman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman, is no idiot and would likely settle for a fig leaf. But even that would be too much for Schmuckrich, Itamar the Tiktok Clown, et al.
• 3. those leitzanim have been insisting that Israel take over civilian control of Gaza long-term, which would likely be an upgrade from the HamAssStan but would become a quagmire Israel cannot afford. The “Palestinian Authority” has almost no support in the Strip and — corrupt to the bone as it is — would not be up to the task (as even the US seems to understand).

In an op-ed, Times of Israel editor David Horowitz[**] is skeptical that the ultimatum will achieve its goal, unless a few disgruntled Likudniks find their spine, defect from the coalition, and hence trigger new elections.

[*] The IDF’s highest rank, rav-aluf, corresponds to Lieutenant General in larger armies. It is reserved for the ramatka”l (rosh ha-mate ha-klali, Chief of the General Staff) who is in overall military command of the IDF (but subject to civilian control by the government).

[**] A British-born immigrant, no relation to his American namesake — reformed hard leftist turned conservative firebrand. The common Ashkenazi surname comes from the town of Horovice in the present-day Czech Republic.