National Unity chairman Benny Gantz said during a press conference in Sderot on Wednesday that Hamas was militarily defeated following the IDF‘s operation in Gaza.
„From a military point of view – Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or in hiding. Its abilities are cut off, and we will continue to strike what remains.
However, “from a military point of view – Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or in hiding” and its capabilities “crippled,” he continues, stating that “victory will come step by step” and that Israel “will not stop. We will enter Rafah. We will return to Khan Younis. And we will operate in Gaza. Wherever there are terrorist targets – the IDF will be there.”
(28.01.2024)
War cabinet minister Benny Gantz tells residents of the evacuated southern communities that the war against Hamas could last “a year, a decade, or even an entire generation,” and acknowledges the urgent need to ensure the release of the hostages still held in Gaza, Channel 12 reports.
Along with polling for the distribution of mandates in the Knesset, respondents were asked about leadership and who they deemed fit to lead Israel as prime minister. These results remained similar to last week‘s, with 45% of respondents supporting a Gantz premiership, while support for Netanyahu as prime minister decreased by four points, currently at 34%.
As the first major political shakeup since the war‘s outbreak and Gantz‘s subsequent entry into the emergency government, Sa‘ar‘s departure may signal broader realignments within Israeli politics. Pundits also questioned whether the move signaled Sa‘ar‘s belief that elections may take place even before the war is over.
Sa‘ar, a former minister in the Likud party, left after multiple disagreements with Prime Minister Netanyahu. His right-wing faction united with Gantz‘s center-left Blue and White party ahead of the 2022 elections under the banner of the National Unity party.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, as the US seeks to ratchet up pressure on the Netanyahu government to allow more aid into Gaza. Those calls have gone largely unheeded as the humanitarian crisis deepens and ceasefire talks have yet to reach a breakthrough.
The Biden administration‘s rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became even more acute Sunday, when Vice President Kamala Harris called for a cease-fire in Gaza the day before a controversial meeting with a top Israeli official and longtime Netanyahu rival.
Israeli Cabinet minister Benny Gantz traveled to Washington without the endorsement of Netanyahu, who instructed the Israeli Embassy in the U.S. to withhold assistance in arranging his meetings, Israel Hayom reported.
An official from Netanyahu’s far-right Likud party said Gantz’s trip was planned without authorization from the Israeli leader. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu had a “tough talk” with Gantz and told him the country has “just one prime minister.”
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is hosting a member of Israel’s wartime Cabinet who is visiting Washington in defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu, is sitting down with several senior Biden administration officials this week, including Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken,
„The prime minister made it clear to Gantz last night that he does not approve of his trip to Washington. Any official trip abroad by a minister that is not private but rather in an official capacity requires approval from the prime minister,“ the senior figure was quoted as saying.
A statement from Gantz confirmed that he would meet with Harris, as well as with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Republican and Democratic members of US Congress.
Israel’s war on Hamas could last an “10 years, or even entire generation,” war cabinet minister Benny Gantz reportedly told residents of evacuated communities in southern Israel.
“Complete removal of the threat will take time,” Israel’s Channel 12 reported Mr Gantz, who previously served as deputy prime minister and defence minister, as saying on Sunday.
With the government’s popularity plummeting, a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nevertheless garnered only 18 votes in the Knesset on Monday evening, falling far short of the necessary majority to pass in the 120-strong Knesset plenum.
The vote was boycotted by the coalition, whose heads stated earlier in the day that they would “not take part in political theater during wartime.”
“This terror attack is further proof of our obligation to continue to fight with strength and determination against murderous terrorism, which threatens our citizens. In Jerusalem, Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, and everywhere,” Gantz writes on X, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
(11.10.2023)
(today)
(05.10.2023)
The Biden administration hopes Israeli opposition parties will consider joining the coalition in place of its far-right members in case the latter opposes any concessions towards the Palestinians as part of a potential Saudi agreement
Plus on a personal level, it appears humiliating and degrading for anyone to be forced to „kneel“ and serve as Bibi‘s powerless slave ministers. Gantz wants to be PM, not spend what remains of his political career pouring Miss Piggy‘s pink champagne for her.
The Biden administration hopes Israeli opposition parties will consider joining the coalition in place of its far-right members in case the latter opposes any concessions towards the Palestinians as part of a potential Saudi agreement
Lapid told the Americans he was vehemently opposed to allowing Saudi Arabia to carry out any nuclear enrichment on its soil.
The report said Gantz and Bennett were believed to have also highlighted the dangers of a regional nuclear race if the Saudis had their own program.
Netanyahu has since said he will seek to build consensus before approving further changes to the judicial system, but also pledged the coalition will move forward alone if no deal is reached.
“There is no rebellion in Likud. We all want to reach agreements and need to make the maximum effort to do so, but we will not give the other side a veto,” the ruling party said in a statement.
According to the report by Ynet, Gallant intends to work toward such a coalition with the National Unity party headed by Gantz, and Yesh Atid headed by Lapid, even if it meant that he would have to resign from his ministerial post.
This potential switch would primarily be made to replace the far-right Religious Zionism headed by Bezalel Smotrich and Jewish Power headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, in order to halt movements toward extremism, and return to a national conesus.
Such a nightmarish spectacle had never been seen in Israel: The president, the prime minister, the chairman of the opposition and the head of the country‘s largest labor federation were trading proposals on the issue of judicial review as if they were cryptocurrency.
Obviously, spies are trying to infiltrate Israel´s Democracy Movement that resists the judicial coup of Benyamin Netanyahu´s extreme right-wing government. That spies agenda seems to follow some „broad consensus“ of Mossad and CIA, demanded by US state leadership, to keep situation under control and safequard geostrategic goals.
An analysis and prognosis.
(17.06.2023)
ומי שהצביעו עבור קארין אלהרר ופנינה תמנו שטה היו גם חברי הכנסת של ש״ס, בהוראה של דרעי ואולי אף דרעי בעצמו, ובידיעת נתניהו, גנץ ולפיד.
האינטרס של לפיד וגנץ היה להראות ״הישג״ בהצבעה בכנסת, האינטרס של נתניהו היה להקפיא את ההפיכה המשטרית על מנת להגיע לוושינגטון ולמסמס את המחאה, והאינטרס של דרעי היה להמשיך את השיחות בבית הנשיא על מנת לסלול את דרכו לממשלה.
נתניהו ודרעי הבינו שללא נציגת האופוזיציה בוועדה תקום סערה ציבורית והכל יתפוצץ. לכן פעלו כפי שפעלו בתיאום מלא עם גנץ ולפיד.
ולכן גם ההודעה של גנץ ולפיד, שהם משהים את השיחות עד לבחירת נציג הקואליציה לוועדה וכינוסה, גם האמירה הזאת היא עבודה בעיניים, הכל בלוף.
זה פשוט המשך שיתוף פעולה, וחלק מאותה הסכמה של גנץ ולפיד להכשיר את דרעי ולהכניסו לממשלה.
גנץ ולפיד הרימו דגל לבן, ועשו מכירת חיסול של הציבור הליברלי במדינת ישראל.
לצערי זו האמת מאחורי השיחות בבית הנשיא וההצבעה בכנסת ביום רביעי.
(17.06.2023)
“The picture that arises is that everything that happened on Wednesday in the Knesset vote for the Judicial Appointments Committee was one big show, behind which there was a four-way deal between [National Unity Party chief Benny] Gantz and [Opposition leader Yair] Lapid on one side and Netanyahu and [Shas leader Arye] Dery on the other,” Lieberman posted on his Twitter account.
“The interest of Lapid and Gantz is to show ‘an achievement’ in the Knesset vote, Netanyahu’s interest is to freeze the [judicial overhaul] so he can go to Washington and soften the protests, and Dery’s interest is to continue the talks at the President’s Residence to pave his path back to the government,” he wrote.
(June 15, 2023)
But it may well be a Pyrrhic victory, writes @noa_landau
(Jun 12, 2023)
A compromise agreement between coalition and opposition lawmakers over the government‘s judicial overhaul is expected to be reached as early as Wednesday, opposition MK Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday.
According to the Yisrael Beitenu chairman, the agreement will come after the opposition candidate for the Judicial Appointments Committee, MK Karine Elharrar of Yesh Atid, is elected to the position.
Lapid made an appearance at the Tel Aviv protest on Saturday night. At Kaplan Street, a demonstrator yelled at him, „No negotiations!“ To which he responded, „We‘re not there.“ Although he and Gantz have agreed to delay the negotiations with the coalition, protesters are demanding that they shelve them completely.
Former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni also gave a speech at that rally, saying that the government is „already advancing fascist decisions and legislation that will change the face of Israel forever. Decisions and legislation that erase democracy, bring about religious supremacy over secular people, Jewish supremacy over Arabs and messianic supremacy over judges.“
When the negotiation‘s deadline is reached, the host of laws which seek to alter the nature of Basic Laws and allow the government to easily pass semi-constitutional laws will be passed as a single package of legislation, sources with knowledge of the emerging deal said.
Moreover, while decisions by the full cabinet would have immunity from being overturned because the court deemed them unreasonable, decisions by individual ministers would not enjoy such immunity.
Opposition leaders said during the talks that they viewed this as a sensible compromise.
Note how important➡️
it is for them to have peace and quiet so they can work on passing the budget.
What would Netanyahu and Levin do without the peace and quiet afforded to them by the fake ‚dialogue‘ at the President‘s residence that Gantz and Lapid are providing them with?
Preferred PM
?Netanyahu [Likud]: 47% (+5)
?Gantz [NUP]: 35% (-3)
?Lapid [YA]: 17% (+3)
?Gantz: 46% (-2)
?Netanyahu: 44% (+2)
?Netanyahu: 47% (+3)
?Lapid: 36% (+4)
Simcha Rothman, the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, said that if no agreement is reached with the opposition, some of the judicial overhaul legislation would be passed by the Knesset during its current session
(04.05.2023)
Er muss und er will Premierminister bleiben. Er könnte leicht einen Deal eingehen: Die Opposition will ihn vielleicht nicht im Gefängnis sehen, ihn aber als Premier weghaben. Netanjahu will beides: einen Deal und an der Macht bleiben. Das geht nicht.
Negotiating teams will meet next week at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem to begin dialogue over the laws of the proposed judicial overhaul. This will be the first time the sides will discuss the details of the laws submitted to the Knesset, with previous meetings having focused on technical issues.
Several speakers at the protests called on opposition leaders to halt the negotiations, among them former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, who addressed the central demonstration in Tel Aviv.
(October 25, 2022)
Calling for the International Criminal Court to open a new investigation into possible war crimes by Israeli military forces in Gaza in August, Amnesty International on Tuesday said the court must also include Israel‘s illegal apartheid policies against the Occupied Palestinian Territories in its probe.
The organization‘s call centered on the three-day offensive launched by Israel between August 5-8 in the Gaza Strip, with advocates saying its research suggests three specific attacks could amount to war crimes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Haaretz Democracy Conference on Monday, saying that Moscow’s military cooperation with Tehran will likely result in Russia assisting Iran with the development of its nuclear program.
In the prerecorded video message, the Ukrainian leader said that Iran’s sale of suicide drones and provision of military instructors to Russian forces operating in his country would not have been possible without Israel’s decision to stay neutral in the conflict.
Murphy, who chairs the Senate subcommittee dedicated to the Middle East, noted that Israel is not the only country that possesses the Iron Dome missile defense system that could potentially help Ukraine.
“The United States, in fact, could move toward transferring some of our Iron Dome capabilities to Ukraine, as well. I think Israel can do much more here,” the Connecticut senator said, adding: “These drones are absolutely devastating when they hit civilian areas“.
(12.10.2022)
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense, which boasts a 90 percent success rate against rockets fired against it, will stay out of Ukraine’s reach, experts said, as Jerusalem seeks to maintain strategic relations with Russia in Syria and other hot spots.
Israel’s Defense and Foreign ministries and the prime minister’s office uniformly declined to comment Wednesday on long-standing requests from Ukraine and its supporters for it to give, sell or loan Ukraine the system, including calls made since Monday’s barrage.
Hadash-Ta’al commented on the Central Election Commission’s decision to disqualify Balad’s candidacy for the 25th Knesset. “The decision to disqualify Balad is an unfortunate decision. [Benny] Gantz, [Yair] Lapid and [Meirav] Michaeli proved that they are right-wing in disguise. Despite the anger of the racists who want to keep the Arabs away from the polling stations, on election day we all flock to the polling stations.”
Balad and several of its lawmakers have been disqualified by past elections panels, and have so far won every appeal to the High Court to be reinstated. The party is expected to make a similar appeal to return to November’s contest following Thursday’s disqualification.
Earlier on Thursday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara released a letter to the committee stating that there was no basis for disqualifying either Balad or the Islamist Ra’am party. The panel ultimately cleared Ra’am’s path to the ballot box, dismissing petitions that alleged the party supported terrorist organizations.
(29.09.2022)
Despite appeals filed alleging that Ra‘am „supports terrorism,“ the vote to allow their running passed 14-0, with representatives from Likud, the Religious Zionist Party, Yesh Atid, and Labor not present.
Israel‘s Defense Minister Benny Gantz of the National Unity Party ruled on Thursday that all of his party representatives on the election committee will vote to disqualify Balad from running for parliament.
We are deeply concerned by the raids which took place in the morning of 18 August, as part of a worrying reduction of space for civil society in the oPT. These actions are not acceptable.
The further reduction of civil space in the oPT remains a source of concern. We stand firm with NGOs to uphold the right to freedom of expression and association in the oPT.
A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for a two state solution. As we stated on 12 July, no substantial information was received from Israel that would justify reviewing our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs on the basis of the Israeli decision to designate these NGOs as ‘terrorist organisations’. Should convincing evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act accordingly.
In October, Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed an order declaring Addameer, Al-Haq, the Bisan Center for Research & Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Women‘s Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees as terrorist organizations. The Defense Ministry claims that they are part of a funding network operated by the largely-defunct Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a charge that all six groups deny.
“When we form the government, I will promote the Deportation Law, which will deport anyone who acts against the State of Israel or IDF soldiers,” Ben-Gvir said in the interview. “Those who throw stones and Molotov cocktails at soldiers will be deported from here. Those who work against the state like [Joint List MK] Ofer Cassif will be deported. Maybe to Europe. They need working hands there.”
However, he said, the same law would not apply to Jews.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Otzma Yehudit party head hoping to be part of Israel‘s next government, declared he would support a deportation policy for anyone who works ‚against the state of Israel,‘ specifically mentioning Joint List lawmakers
Israels ehemaliger Armeechef Gadi Eisenkot will mit Blick auf die anstehende Parlamentswahl der neuen Partei von Verteidigungsminister Benny Gantz beitreten. Er werde sich der neuen Mitte-rechts-Partei Hamahane Hamamlachti (Nationale Einheitspartei) von Gantz und Justizminister Gideon Saar anschließen, erklärte Eisenkot heute.
6:45 pm IDT
Forty-nine Palestinians have been killed as a result of the latest military escalation between Israel and Islamic Jihad, which lasted three days. They include five girls, 11 boys and four women.
Thirty were killed during Israeli strikes. Of those, 17 were civilians, among them three girls, a boy and four women. Botched launches of Palestinian rockets killed 19 non-combatants, including 12 children.
Benny Gantz, a retired Israeli army general and the country‘s minister of defense, told a local media outlet yesterday that a New Yorker report which said Netanyahu encouraged U.S. action against Iran was likely „not what happened.“
„I don‘t know of this story and I assume this is not what happened,“ Gantz said in an interview, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Gantz is expecting Lapid to be the silver platter on which his government will rest. He’s expecting Lapid to bow out gracefully a fourth time.
First, Lapid gave up on leading Kahol Lavan (back when it was a joint ticket). Then he gave up on a rotation as prime minister should it win. Then he let Naftali Bennett be the first prime minister in the outgoing rotation government. As far as Gantz and his supporters are concerned, that’s Lapid’s purpose – to be an indefatigable capitulator, the person who provides springboards and makes governments for others.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope Party are merging, the two announced in a press conference on Sunday night.
“Today we are laying the foundation stone of the next government,” Gantz said. “The edges and extremes have set the tone for too long, and the Israeli center remained without a voice.”
Israeli military sources say …
(Jul 1, 2022)
The second consensus – which is both more important and more interesting – is that absolutely no one in Likud, from the most junior member to the most senior, failed to cite Kahol Lavan Chairman Benny Gantz, the current defense minister, as the person they are counting on to complete the tally of 61 Knesset seats that Netanyahu needs to form a government.
A number of senior Israeli officials secretly visited Saudi Arabia over the past decade, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz when he was the Israeli army’s chief of staff, signalling deepening covert relations between Israel and the Kingdom, the Israel Hayom daily reported on Sunday.
Ex-Mossad intelligence agency head Tamir Pardo, and former directors of the National Security Council Yossi Cohen and Meir Ben-Shabbat also travelled to the Gulf monarchy.
(23.05.2022)
According to Buccino, the fuel tankers simulated refueling two US F-15s and four Israeli F-16s. The timing of the refueling exercise was coincidental, Buccino said.
“There is no direct US military involvement in that exercise,” Buccino said, referring to “Chariots of Fire.”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Rob Lodewick also denied that the Department of Defense was “directly participating” in the exercise, according to the report.
“A small number of personnel from across US Central Command are observing portions of the exercise,” Lodewick added.
(17.05.2022)
According to the unsourced report, the US Air Force will serve as a complementary force, with refueling planes drilling with Israeli fighter jets as they simulate entering Iranian territory and carrying out repeated strikes.
The unprecedented Israel- US aerial collaboration in a drill simulating a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is seen as a potential message to Iran amid long-stalled negotiations in Vienna over a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a possibility Israel has repeatedly voiced its objection to, warning it would lead to “a more violent, more volatile Middle East.”
(17.05.2022)
Gantz is slated to meet with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on Thursday at the Pentagon in Washington. Meanwhile, Michael Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), arrived in Israel on Tuesday for his first official visit.
Speaking with Russian state television, Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov noted Defense Ministry Benny Gantz’s announcement a day earlier that Israel will provide Ukraine with helmets and flak jackets.
Gantz’s office stressed the equipment will go to Ukrainian civilian rescue and medical forces, not the military.
Nach Angaben des syrischen Verteidigungsministeriums hat Israel erneut Luftangriffe auf syrisches Gebiet geflogen.
With tensions running high in the aftermath of the tanker attack off Oman, the defense minister says strikes in Lebanon were ‚warning shots‘
Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday condemned the Israeli air raids that targeted Lebanon‘s southern villages earlier in the day, saying they constitute a flagrant and serious violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, according to a statement by Lebanon‘s Presidency.
Heute seien erneut „Raketen aus dem Libanon auf israelisches Gebiet“ gefeuert worden, schrieb die israelische Luftwaffe auf Twitter.
Als Reaktion darauf hätten Kampfjets „Abschussrampen und für Terror genutzte Infrastruktur“ attackiert.