Israeli Minister Gantz, who is currently leading in the polls, has called for early elections. Gantz is a member of the War Cabinet. He now spoke out in favor of going to the polls in September.
A member of Israel’s war cabinet, Benny Gantz, has called for a new election. This is necessary to restore public trust in the government, Gantz said at a press conference.
The election should take place in September – two years earlier than planned. Then there would be time to continue the war against Hamas, “while letting citizens know that we will soon renew the trust between us and prevent a rift among the people.”
Netanyahu rejects new elections
Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to his call for new elections. However, the head of government has repeatedly vehemently rejected calls for his resignation or new elections as a result of the Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7th.
Since October 7th, Netanyahu’s popularity ratings have plummeted and, according to surveys, he is far behind Gantz in favor of voters. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party accused Gantz of “small-minded politics” in view of his call for a new election. An election campaign would paralyze the country and harm the military offensive against Hamas, the party said.
Netanyahu under pressure
An absolute majority of 61 of the 120 Knesset members would be required to call new elections. Netanyahu’s national conservative Likud party won 32 seats in the last elections in December 2022. After the major attack by Hamas, Gantz joined a national unity government led by Netanyahu.
However, he is currently under considerable political pressure. Over the past few days, evening after evening, several thousand people have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to demand his resignation. For the first time, government opponents and relatives of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas and other Islamists in the Gaza Strip came together in the protests.
Reception from the USA
In the US, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed Gantz’s call. “When a prominent member of the Israeli war cabinet calls for early elections and 70 percent of the Israeli population supports this according to a major poll, you know it is the right thing to do,” Schumer wrote on the online service X. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in Israel the USA, spoke out in favor of a change of government in Israel in a sensational speech in March.