beirut, lebanon – Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a major opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is touted by his supporters as the next prime minister, came to Washington, D.C. at the invitation of the U.S. government. There is.
Analysts told Al Jazeera that this was a result of public dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government, and that US President Joe Biden's administration was turning to Gantz, a former military chief of staff and political centrist, as an ally. He said he is doing so. I'm trying to build on that.
Gantz may be using the trip to strengthen ties with U.S. officials and take advantage of the Israeli political climate, where Netanyahu is increasingly unpopular, but his stated purpose is to , increased support for Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, and, according to Israeli officials, released Israeli prisoners of war.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Gantz met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Middle East Special Envoy Brett McGuirk on Monday and issued “sharp and very critical criticisms of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.” He said he received a “message”.
He is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
“Political parking lot”
Gantz currently leads Netanyahu in a poll asking Israelis who they want to be their next prime minister.
Despite Netanyahu's declining approval ratings, he is far from dead politically, and Gantz's approval ratings have more to do with opposition to the incumbent than with his own strength. Some analysts think so.
“Benny Gantz doesn't have much to offer ideologically,” Eyal Lurie Pardes, a visiting fellow at the Middle East Institute's Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program, told Al Jazeera.
“He is now a political parking lot for people who are dissatisfied with Netanyahu.”
In July, hundreds of thousands of people marched in Israel in what were called pro-democracy protests as the Netanyahu government passed a bill restricting the powers of the judiciary. The Supreme Court invalidated the ruling in January.
Gantz, by contrast, is seen as a more moderate figure than Netanyahu, who heads the most right-wing government in Israel's history.
Prime Minister Netanyahu still has a support base, but after an October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas's Qassam Brigades and other Palestinian militants that killed 1,139 people, Netanyahu is reluctant to return the remaining prisoners taken to Gaza. Many Israelis believe that the government is prioritizing political survival.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is also on trial on multiple corruption charges, including breach of trust, bribery and fraud, and the trial is expected to last for several more months.
Anti-Prime Minister Netanyahu protests have flared up again in recent months, mainly over his handling of the war in Gaza, but the number of demonstrators is not large.
Despite its disapproval of Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right coalition, the White House remains adamant in its support of Israel's war in Gaza, twice bypassing Congress to send additional military aid and to attach conditions to aid. It has steadfastly supported the Gaza war, using its veto power multiple times in the UN Security Council. He kills a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Taking advantage of Prime Minister Netanyahu's unpopularity
Members of Gantz's party have called on him to resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, but voters are divided on the issue.
Many believe his presence will act as a counterweight to right-wing elements within the government. Some feel it is time for him to remove support from his war cabinet.
Some fear that he will be replaced by a far-right figure like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir or Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The cabinet appointments of Ben Gvir and Smotrich caused friction between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the United States in late 2022, when a coalition government formed by Prime Minister Netanyahu with far-right figures, including members of the settler movement, appeared in the United States. is considered one of the causes of conflict. I prefer Gantz.
Although Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are often portrayed as peripheral figures, Lurie-Pardes said: [fringe figures]. They are very powerful ministers representing the third largest party in Israel's parliament. ”
Many Israeli politicians are hoping to capitalize on Netanyahu's unpopularity and have begun calling for elections.
According to a recent poll conducted by Israel's Channel 13, if elections were held now, Gantz's National Unity Party would win 39 seats in parliament, while Netanyahu's Likud party would win 17 seats. become.
But once the election is announced, several other candidates could enter the race and steal Gantz's fire.
Tamir Sorek, a professor of Middle East history at Penn State University, told Al Jazeera that “Benny Gantz may represent American interests in the Israeli government,” but that “Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn't really need him in the coalition.” He doesn’t have to do that because there isn’t.” He has the same influence as far-right parties. ”
Prime Minister Netanyahu's conditions
Many more Palestinians could die in Gaza as Israel continues its indiscriminate bombing campaign and prevents sufficient aid from reaching the small besieged enclave, home to more than 2 million Palestinians.
The United Nations has warned that at least 500,000 people will go hungry.
As anti-war protests continue in cities around the world, including many in the United States, and voters find other ways to make their voices heard, the Biden administration appears to be shifting the blame to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Biden recently appeared on a US late-night talk show and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's “incredibly conservative government” was losing international support.
US media reported that Biden privately described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “a******” on at least three occasions. There are also reports that both Biden and Blinken are upset by the destruction and death in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, pressure on the United States and Israel for a ceasefire is mounting. Biden recently said he hoped a ceasefire would be announced soon, and Harris called for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday. But analysts say the war is likely to drag on unless the United States makes some significant changes or attaches conditions to its aid.
“Harris' words were the harshest ever.” [by the Biden administration]” Zachary Lockman, a professor of Middle East studies at New York University, told Al Jazeera.
“but [Netanyahu] They're very good at observing what Americans are doing, not what they're saying. ”