The departure of Israeli War Council members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot will not force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold early elections, but it will leave him completely dependent on the extreme right and thus make him vulnerable to its pressure, or push him to think about other exits.
This is one of the conclusions written by the British magazine “The Economist” in a report that dealt with the impact of the resignation of Gantz and Eisenkot from the Israeli government led by Netanyahu, especially with regard to the possibility of Netanyahu agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
The magazine indicated that Gantz and Eisenkot resigned in protest against Netanyahu’s intransigence against the ceasefire plans in Gaza and the release of detainees there.
Vulnerable to extremist pressure
The magazine said that from now on, Netanyahu will have to deal alone with the leaders of the Israeli extreme right, led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The report stated that Ben Gvir, leader of the “Jewish Greatness” party, and Smotrich, leader of the “Religious Zionism” party, are demanding membership in “the bodies most relevant to the war,” namely the War Council, and for Israel to escalate its operations in Gaza and against the Lebanese Hezbollah.
However, The Economist said that Netanyahu is not in a rush to end the war, or a ceasefire, adding that a ceasefire will make it more difficult for him to avoid accountability after the war, and at the same time he is not keen on escalating military actions, especially when America is putting increasing pressure on his government to agree to a ceasefire.
The magazine said that Netanyahu will miss his two centrist partners – Gantz and Eisenkot – who helped him achieve a balance between the extremist demands for more destructive military action and a ceasefire, explaining that military escalation would lead to greater international isolation and deepen the already unprecedented crisis with America.
Playing for time
I expected that Netanyahu would continue trying to play for time, but at some point he would have to choose between escalation and reduction, and he would no longer be able to rely on the moderate influence of the two centrist ministers – Gantz and Eisenkot – to allow him room to maneuver.
She added that Netanyahu has alternatives to escalation, and he can break away from the far right and accept offers from Gantz and Yair Lapid, the former prime minister who leads the largest opposition party, to support his government if he accepts the ceasefire agreement and the release of detainees.
The other option available to Netanyahu, according to The Economist, is to dissolve the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, itself and bet on the elections. But recent opinion polls indicate that three-quarters of Israelis say he should leave.
The Economist also indicated that Gantz is betting that he will win voters by joining the opposition, and that by leaving Netanyahu alone with the extremists, he will force him either to act responsibly or stimulate the protests that have grown in recent weeks until the overthrow of the government, knowing that the Israeli public is now more Concerned about the fate of detainees.
