Gantz makes US trip without alerting Netanyahu, deepens divide: Report
4 Min Read
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz makes a trip to the United States without alerting his prime minister, further stoking discord within the Israeli occupation.
-
Israeli Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in 'Tel Aviv', occupied Palestine, on October 28, 2023 (AP)
A fierce confrontation broke out between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Cabinet member Benny Gantz after the latter made a trip to Washington without consulting with the Prime Minister.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Mike Herzog, will not deal with Gantz's visit to the United States and will miss the meetings he will hold with the senior Biden administration in response to Netanyahu's orders, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.
Netanyahu's orders go against diplomatic norms, under which the embassy coordinates any visit made by any minister to any foreign country.
Maariv quoted senior Israeli officials as saying Gantz wants out of the War Cabinet but cannot do anything about that before the war ends and the Israeli captives are returned, especially as he does not have the popularity to take such a decision.
Gantz, according to the newspaper, is attempting to undermine Netanyahu and his stature with the hopes that Netanyahu would dismiss him from the government and turn him into a hero in the eyes of Israelis.
The Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper saw Netanyahu's orders to the Israeli ambassador as "revenge" against Gantz, noting that a strong-worded discussion took place between the two, wherein Netanyahu told the former Security Minister that "Israel only has one prime minister."
According to the newspaper, the government refused to pay for the expenses of the trip because it was not approved by the prime minister as a diplomatic trip, meaning Gantz's political party would have to pay for it.
"A minister in Israel is subordinate to the Prime Minister. Netanyahu needed to call him on to abide by the law," Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said.
'A government within a government'
Ben-Gvir criticized there being "a government within a government," and scrutinized Netanyahu for playing favorites with Gantz's "State Camp" political party rather than the far-right, as well as for giving up on the talks to release Palestinian prisoners ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
Ben-Gvir also criticized Security Minister Yoav Gallant, saying he was always trying to drag everyone to an election all the time and that he did not comply with the "State Camp" policies. The far-right minister demanded that Netanyahu hand Gallant a warning. "You either pick us or you resign."
Israeli "State Camp" MK Michael Biton defended during an interview on the Israeli Army Radio his part's leader, explaining that he planned the trip to the US at lightning speed amid surging tensions with the US, adding that Netanyahu should have approved the trip.
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Dudi Amsalem, meanwhile, attacked Gantz, saying: "Mr. Gantz, your participation in the government was aimed at creating unity at a time of emergency, not for you to be a trojan horse. Your trip this morning to the United States is a clear violation of the framework of the government. You're the one always whining about any violations of agreements."
"Maybe Americans see you as exemplary in the process of establishing a Palestinian state and reaching a ceasefire in Gaza," Amsalem said. "Just a reminder, you joined the government to create unity during the war, not to prevent the Israeli army from winning."
Government reached its demise
Former Israeli Security Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Netanyahu's government has reached its demise.
Speaking with the Israeli Occupation's Army Radio on Sunday, Lieberman predicted that war cabinet member, Benny Gantz, would declare its end.
Lieberman stressed that Israeli settlers have given Netanyahu's government confidence for 5 months during the Israeli war on Gaza but "this is over now" as the occupation has failed to achieve its goals, specifically that of "destroying Hamas."
These failures have ignited several internal conflicts between Israeli officials on different liability issues, in parallel with many protests in "Tel Aviv" urging the occupation government to opt for the captives deal.
Former Deputy Chairman of the occupation's "National Security Council", Eran Etzion, confirmed that Netanyahu's government has been "lying" as no "military solutions" can solve the settlers' problems in the North or the South.
Speaking with Israeli Channel 13, he added that it is no coincidence that Netanyahu's government has not solved "the issue of Hamas" in Gaza for five months since October 7 stressing that the latter is due to "failed administration".
