Benny Gantz Archives - Politics Today https://politicstoday.org/tag/benny-gantz/ Tue, 06 Apr 2021 12:13:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 Israelis Might Go to Polls for the 5th Time in Two Years https://politicstoday.org/israelis-might-go-to-polls-for-the-5th-time-in-two-years/ Tue, 06 Apr 2021 12:13:19 +0000 https://politicstoday.org/israelis-might-go-to-polls-for-the-5th-time-in-two-years/

If a stable government cannot be formed, Israelis might end up going to a fifth election.

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For the fourth time in two years, legislative elections were held in Israel on March 23, 2021 to elect the 120 members of the 24th Knesset. Israeli governments have to secure a majority in the Knesset with each member casting one vote.

Israeli right-wing parties such as the Likud party and their allies won 52 out of the 120 seats. The southern branch of the Islamic Movement led by Mansour Abbas won four seats. These results signify the continuity of the deadlock in Israeli politics with neither Likud and its allies nor their opponents able to secure a majority.

Both sides would need the support of the United Arab List and the Joint Arab List to secure a majority, which seems a difficult match. Yamina Party, which has seven seats in the Knesset announced it would not support any candidate.

To form a government, Benjamin Netanyahu must unite right-wing parties. Netanyahu stated, “With this majority, we have to build a stable Israeli government.” He added, “Join us in this government,” pledging to build “a right-wing government that will look after all Israeli citizens.”

VIDEO: Israel faces another political deadlock

Yohanan Plesner, the president of the Israel Democracy Institute, commented on the results by saying, “Israel is experiencing its worst political crisis in decades. It’s apparent that our political system finds it very difficult to produce a decisive outcome and this is as a result of inherent weaknesses in our electoral system, but it’s also because of the Netanyahu factor.”

News agencies across the world debated the issue. Deutsche Welle correspondent Tania Krämer noted that Netanyahu faces an uphill battle to forming a coalition. “It’s going to be very very narrow if you look at the exit polls.” She added that Netanyahu will likely have to secure support from other parties outside his camp. “If you look at the last election, Likud did much better at that time. He lost a couple of seats and it will be even more difficult now to form a coalition,” Krämer asserted.

Read: Gantz, Netanyahu, Bennett and Israeli Politics in a Stalemate

Mustafa Fatih Yavuz, the TRT World correspondent in Jerusalem, stated, “The parties that constitute the anti-Netanyahu camp have huge ideological differences which may prevent them from functioning as a coalition. The Israeli media say they could come together to pass legislation preventing any candidate under indictment from forming a coalition which would remove Netanyahu from the equation and a fifth election could be on the cards.”

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Yossi Mekelberg, a professor of international relations and an associate fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, declared “Israel’s democratic system needs a radical overhaul, and with it a set of clear rules governing the criteria and norms that should apply to those seeking to enter public life and to their behavior once elected.”

Mekelberg added that “people talk about who wins elections in Israel and my answer is no one wins elections in Israel. As a collective, the Israeli voters do not trust anyone in particular. I think in a way, after 12 years in power, Netanyahu, cannot separate between the state and himself.”

“Israel’s democratic system needs a radical overhaul, and with it a set of clear rules governing the criteria and norms.”

Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem noted that “no camp has an actual straightforward way to create the government and that means that both camps are going to work very hard and Netanyahu is going to try to find defectors from the change camp or at least get Abbas the head of Islamist party to abstain in the vote so Netanyahu will have a government.”

As a result of the political stalemate, if a stable government cannot be formed, Israelis might end up going to a fifth election in the near future.

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]]> Gantz, Netanyahu, Bennett and Israeli Politics in a Stalemate https://politicstoday.org/gantz-netanyahu-bennett-and-israeli-politics-in-a-stalemate/ Mon, 25 Jan 2021 03:06:52 +0000 https://politicstoday.org/gantz-netanyahu-bennett-and-israeli-politics-in-a-stalemate/

Israelis live in the illusion that another hero will show up, another general with the dust of a recent war still in his hair, and who will see the folly of war and the wisdom of making peace.

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The upcoming Israeli elections – the fourth in two years – bring little promise of change. These elections bring to mind the famous saying that trying to do something over and over again while expecting different results is a sign of madness. Anyone who expects that the existing Zionist political spectrum will give rise to a progressive or even a slightly liberal coalition lives in a fantasy world. Even Israelis realize that the possibility of change does not exist. The only purpose for calling for elections at this point is to allow Benyamin Netanyahu to remain in office.

When Netanyahu signed the current coalition agreement, which allowed him to remain prime minister, it was obvious that he had no intentions of keeping his word and that at the first opportunity he would break the coalition agreements and dissolve the coalition. New elections mean his coalition partner, former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief General Benny Gatnz, will never take his place as prime minister.

Now, Netanyahu got what he wanted and General Gantz has shown himself to be spineless and pitiful – not surprising for a general who made a career out of the indiscriminate killing and oppression of the Palestinian people. As things stand today, even the most optimistic Israelis realize that the upcoming elections are a colossal waste of time and money.

Read: Israel Elections: Why targeting Turkey is an Electoral Strategy for Likud?

Within the Zionist political world, there is a consensus on the issue of Palestine. It is pretty much agreed across the entire Zionist political world that all of historic Palestine from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea and from the border with Lebanon in the north, including the Golan Heights, to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south belongs to Israel.

The difference between the right and the so-called Zionist left is that the former does not hide its intentions and cares little for what the world might think or say. The latter is a little embarrassed by its own racism and violence and, therefore, pretends that it cares for the rights of Palestinians and that it really wants to achieve peace one day.

However, as we have seen, even the most liberal Zionist will never concede on the issue of land and will always blame the Palestinians for any failure to reach an agreement.

The most liberal Zionist will never concede on the issue of land and will always blame the Palestinians for any failure to reach an agreement.

There are several reasons why Netanyahu has been able to hold on to power for so long. He has a remarkable ability to negotiate, he makes promises and then breaks them, and his intimate knowledge of the political players and the political process in Israel gives him a unique advantage. He is without any doubt the best horse trader in the business and his complete lack of scruples helps him get what he wants every time.

Netanyahu is able to get what he wants regardless of who sits in his coalition and even though he is a right-wing militant fanatic, after the last elections, he opted to create a coalition with what is considered by Zionist standards a center-left political block.

He was able to do this because he knows full well that what is called the “Right Block,” which is made up of mostly religious right-wing militants, will always stand by him, and so he was covered from both the right and the left.

Leader of the Blue and White political alliance, former chief of staff of the Israeli army, Benny Gantz speaks to his supporters during the final stage of his election campaign in Tel Aviv, Israel, 15 September 2019. Photo by Faiz Abu Rmeleh, Anadolu Images

Even though the right-wing militant settlers criticize Netanyahu from time to time, they know very well that they need him in order to fulfill their own political agenda.

Israelis laugh at their own tendency to seek some new retired general in shining armor that will be their political savior every time elections are called. Many Israelis are still caught up with the admiration of the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin who was a glorified war criminal and eventually signed the Oslo (so-called) Peace Accords.

Israelis live in the illusion that another such hero will show up, another general with the dust of a recent war – in which he was victorious – still in his hair, and who will see the folly of war and the wisdom of making peace.

However, the myth of the late prime minister Rabin as a warrior-turned-peacemaker has become old. Rabin was no warrior; he was a war criminal and he was no peacemaker. He did everything he could to make sure that Palestinians would never see their right to self-determination materialize. Equally, there will never be any Israeli general who will fulfill that fantasy.

Naftali Bennett can win a huge political victory

Will there be a new general that will come and take over, sweeping through the Israeli political swamp and saving Israel from itself? The answer is no. There is, however, an alternative to Netanyahu that has recently presented itself. This alternative comes from the right-wing religious militant block and his name is Naftali Bennett.

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According to a piece in the Israeli daily Haaretz, comparing Bennett to Netanyahu, “They both get their inspiration from the right-wing in the United States and in Israel, the Bible and Ayn Rand, and believe that the strong are right. But as a kippa-wearer and an entrepreneur who made a profitable exit, Bennett beats his rival hands down. Netanyahu might know how to quote the Bible and Ayn Rand, but Bennett fulfills them with his actions and his way of life.”

More and more opinion-makers in Israel agree that, as this article states, “Bennett is undoubtedly the most impressive Israeli politician who has emerged over the past decade.” Compared with Prime Minister Netanyahu, whose corruption has led him to indictment, Bennett is seen as a clean, honest, and caring politician, who pays his way.

Naftali Bennett is currently the chairman of HaYamin HeHadash, or the “New Right” party, and in the latest opinion polls he is predicted to win 22 of the 120 Knesset seats. If these predictions are true, it would be a huge political victory but still not enough to unseat Netanyahu. In the past, Bennett has served under Netanyahu as minister of education and later as minister of defense.

However, he has endeared himself to the Israeli public in his self-appointed role as the man in charge of leading the fight against COVID-19, a role to which Netanyahu has refused to nominate him officially. He is seen today as the leading candidate in the race for prime minister, which is unprecedented for a politician who represents not just the radical right but the religious Zionist right.

Read: The Search for a Political Consensus in Israel: Pre-Election Scenarios

Bennet is one of several politicians that come from the radical militant religious right in Israel who has the face and voice of a reasonable, pragmatic politician. As one listens to him speak, one could easily forget that he represents a political ideology that is even more hate-filled and violent than anything we have seen before coming out of Israel. It is an ideology that not only denies Palestinians have rights to Palestine, but believes that Palestinians should only have the right to remain in Palestine under conditions that are dictated by a radical Zionist-religious ideology.

In other words, Palestinians must peacefully accept the destruction of their country, the elimination of their identity, and live as residents with no rights as the “Arabs of Israel”. It is also an ideology, if one can call it that, which believes that a Jewish temple should replace the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque which have been iconic symbols of Jerusalem and indeed of Palestine for close to 1,500 years.

Naftali Bennet and his followers believe that Israel comes first, and that Jews have rights that supersede those of anyone else residing in historic Palestine. In fact, they completely deny that any history exists that could identify Palestine as a country or Palestinians as a people. By this, Bennet and his followers deny a glorious history that, according to a book recently published by the historian Nur Maslha goes back close to 4,000 years – actual history, not the biblical Zionist mythology.

If one was to try and predict the result of Israel’s next election scheduled for March 2021, one could safely say that whatever changes may occur, they will be small and insignificant. Prime Minister Netanyahu with a service of over a decade under his belt still seems to be the favorite and is very likely to remain in his seat for the foreseeable future.

VIDEO: Israel to hold snap election in March, fourth in two years

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]]> Snap Elections in Israel: Is Netanyahu Going? https://politicstoday.org/snap-elections-in-israel-is-netanyahu-going/ Fri, 15 Mar 2019 05:53:19 +0000 https://politicstoday.org/snap-elections-in-israel-is-netanyahu-going/

Will the claims of corruption made against Netanyahu bring an end to his political career?

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The elections to take place in Israel were originally scheduled for November 2019. However, Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria shifted the sensitive domestic political balance coalition between partners and therefore snap elections became inevitable. When Netanyahu noticed that he will not be able to obtain support for the Tall Bill proposal (military service exemption for Haredi students) from the Knesset, he had to declare the decision for snap elections to be held on 9 April.

This is not an unusual incident for Israeli politics. As can be remembered, the last elections were not held on the date they were scheduled either. But this time, something is different. New parties have been formed, some alliances have split, and new alliances are being formed. The opposition is working hard to confront Netanyahu’s Likud and overthrow him from the prime ministerial position. Netanyahu and his colleagues are obviously working to maintain their tenure.

Although the previous elections in Israel were not held on time, this time things are different. New parties have been formed, alliances have split and new alliances are being formed. The opposition is working hard to confront Netanyahu’s Likud and overthrow him from the prime ministerial position. 

While there are many issues on the political agenda, the Israeli opposition are especially mobilizing on Netanyahu’s corruption scandals and the rumors surrounding possible prosecution. This issue is Netanyahu’s weakest point and therefore this pressure is making him act irrationally and disproportionately. 

Does Netanyahu have a chance?

Although most of the polls still show Netanyahu to have at least 30 seats in the next Knesset, it is possible to say that he is not comfortable because his rivals are strengthening in power day-by-day. When the seats of other coalition parties are added, Netanyahu can reach a sufficient number to form the next government, with the contribution of Kulanu, Shas, and UTC. This means around 58-61 chairs, which is enough to gain a majority if everything goes right. But especially after Avigdor Liberman, chair of Yisrael Beitenu, resigned from the Ministry of Defense and left the coalition, the political environment has begun to reverse against Netanyahu. In fact, at this time everybody thought that the Israeli PM had overcome distressed times. However, Lieberman’s resignation ignited other initiatives coming from Bennett&Shaked.

Although Bennet slammed Netanyahu for the Gaza deal that he made with Hamas in 2018, and claimed that they were going to follow closely as to whether Netanyahu is really acting in the interest of Israel, the PM was able to overthrow these charges and continue with his politics with no harm. However, on December 19, the U.S. decision to withdraw from Syria broke the last resistance and Netanyahu had to announce a snap election. Due to the fact that both coalition and opposition parties noticed Netanyahu’s policy depended on Trump, they don’t have to endure Netanyahu anymore.

While Netanyahu is still the favorite candidate for the election, his last attempt to form an alliance with Bennet’s old party, Jewish Home, which merged with Kahanist Jewish Power (Otzama Yehudit) may cause a loss of centrist votes as some former members of Jewish Power have been prosecuted and arrested in the past. More, Kach Party, which was formed before Jewish Power, was declared as an illegal terrorist organization by Israel due to its involvement in the murder of 29 Palestinians in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron in 1994.

If these swing votes do swing to the opposition, this would be vitally crucial for Netanyahu and may even cause him to lose the election. And when the AG Mendelbilt indict him before the election, everything may change fundamentally. It may even be possible not to see Netanyahu again in Israeli politics. Just like Olmert…

Who’s in the opposition bloc?

Before the appearance of Gantz, there was just the Zionist Union and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid as main opposition parties. Of course, we can add Joint List and Meretz to this list too, but they don’t have a game-changing effect. It is possible to state that an election would have been too easy for Netanyahu if the Gantz factor was absent.

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Unavoidably, there is a crucial question that keeps emerging: Who is Gantz and where is he obtaining this power from? When the new party was established by former Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, nobody knew anything about him. Now, Gantz’s party is the strongest party that can challenge Netanyahu’s Likud in the race to form the next government.

Who is Israel’s new popular politician Gantz and where is he obtaining his power from? 

First, some rumors spread that Gantz’s ideology belong to the leftist political spectrum. However, we know him as Chief of Staff during the Gaza attack in 2014. Gantz was very close to Netanyahu as the highest ranking officer and has been said to have approved this conflict. While there might be some differences in their approaches about the killings, they cooperated to kill approximately 2000 Palestinians.

After Gantz retired from the army in 2015, he did not reveal his political stance. However, when the snap election decision emerged, mainstream media and elites expressed their support and hope in him. After he gathered guarantees, he clarified his political position as one in the center. Hereby, the new Resilience Party was formed. This name depicts Gantz’s optimal approach to Israel’s security and capacity. Because the original name of the party is “Hosen Leyisrael” in Hebrew, it has a dual meaning in English. The first meaning is resistance, and the second, resilience. After Gantz completed this first stage, he began to try to explain how his party differs from Netanyahu’s Likud. Now, current polls show that Resilience’s votes are close to Likud’s. It can be observed that he is about to successfully reach his first goal.

The other significant development occurred in the deadline of party registrations with the Central Elections Committee. Gantz and Lapid declared that they decided to merge a deal with the participation of two former chiefs of staff, Moshe Yaalon and Gabi Ashkenazi. The new formation was named Blue and White, referring to the colors of the Israeli flag. After merging together, some polls showed that this initiative was ahead of Likud. Their claims about Palestine is giving hope to many Israelis. However, recent events will allow for Netanyahu to shape the ultimate result. Voters will decide on whether to continue with Netanyahu and his corruption cases.

The other opposition party is the New Right, led by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked. They were the former leads of the current coalition partner, Jewish Home, but they left the party after the early election decision. The New Right is locating itself between the conservatives and centrists. In fact, they are open to all sides and may cooperate according to who will win. In spite of leaving the coalition, they have stated that they would not refuse to join the new government if Netanyahu invites them.

In addition, there were two major alliances in Israeli politics, but unfortunately both of them collapsed during the election process. One of them is the leftist Zionist Union (Labour and Hatnua) and the other is the Joint Arab List (Balad, Hadash, Ta’al and Ra’am).

After Isaac Herzog was selected as the head of the Jewish agency he had to leave from the party due to some disputes that occurred between its new leader Avi Gabbay and his partner Tzipi Livni. The Zionist Union has been losing too much power since 2015, and Gabbay was never accepted as a leader like Herzog was. Although Livni demanded to be the head of the alliance, her request was also not met. During this period some journalists also mentioned the possibility of a new future coalition between Livni and Lapid, but that Livni did not receive an official offer, and therefore retired from politics. Hereby, former minister of foreign affairs Livni, while desiring to take part in the government again, lost her own party and had to end her political career.

Is change possible in Israel after the elections?

The latest polls show that the election race will pass between two main political blocs – on the one side, current prime minister, whose tenure has not been interrupted for the last 10 years, his Likud and longtime comrades (Kulanu, Jewish Home, Shash, UTC), and on the other, Blue and White Party lead by Gantz and Lapid. It can be stated that it seems like Netanyahu’s bloc is one step ahead. However, when AG declared to indict Netanyahu due to his three corruption cases, this advantage disappeared. Now, Blue and White may take advantage of this situation and mobilize it as a chance to overthrow Netanyahu.

Whoever will become the next prime minister, the basic fundamentals of Israel’s domestic and foreign policy are not going to change fundamentally. Some negligible issues may differ if Gantz & Lapid win. If the next government decide to construct a deal with the Palestinian side, then this is when we can expect some change. While Gantz’s last statements gives us some hope in this regard, we cannot be assured without seeing these promises being fulfilled.

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