Benny Gantz’s National Unity party has introduced a bill to dissolve the Israeli Knesset, indicating a likely conclusion to the emergency coalition established with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government following the Hamas attack on October 7.
This bill signifies the most decisive action to date in withdrawing support from the coalition, with the goal of forming a new, stable unity government.
The initiative to dissolve the Knesset follows Gantz’s earlier calls for early elections due to the failure to prevent the deadly Hamas attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and 250 hostages.
National Unity member of the Knesset (MK) Pnina Tamano-Shata emphasized the necessity of regaining public trust through elections, stating, “October 7 is a disaster that requires us to go back and receive the people’s trust, to establish a broad and stable unity government that can lead us safely in the face of the enormous challenges in security, the economy and above all — in Israeli society.”
Gantz’s position is further supported by his party’s second-in-command, MK Gadi Eisenkot, who has also called for elections. Netanyahu has opposed the idea of elections, arguing that the current conflict is a crucial reason to keep the existing government intact.
In response, Netanyahu’s Likud party condemned the bill as divisive and detrimental to the war effort. Likud, which leads a 64-member right-wing religious bloc in the 120-member Knesset, maintains that such political moves reward Hamas and undermine Israel’s unity during a critical time of conflict.
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party countered: “The dissolution of the unity government is a reward for [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar, a capitulation to international pressure and a fatal blow to efforts to free our hostages”.
Likud claims that disbanding the government would hurt the war effort.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has been met with widespread global condemnation as the Palestinian death toll has exceeded 36,000 and continues to mount.
Tensions within the coalition have been escalating since Gantz joined the government post-October 7, with recent polls indicating Netanyahu’s regained popularity as a preferred premier despite the coalition’s lack of a parliamentary majority.
The ongoing barbaric violence in Gaza has seen mounting criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of the war, particularly after incidents like the accidental death of 45 civilians in Rafah. These events have intensified calls for accountability and humanitarian considerations, adding to the pressure on Netanyahu’s administration.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants on May 20, 2024, against five top-ranking Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan said he had “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are responsible for crimes including the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, willful killing, and murder, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population and extermination.
The ICC is the only permanent international court that wields power to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Separately, the International Court of Justice is hearing a case brought by South Africa that alleges that Israel is violating international law by committing and failing to prevent genocidal acts.
The third U.S. State Department official who quit in protest of President Joe Biden’s Israel policy said her resignation was precipitated by an administration report to Congress that falsely stated Israel was not blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Stacy Gilbert, who served in the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, was a subject matter expert working on the 46-page unclassified report submitted to Congress as required under a new National Security Memorandum that Biden issued in early February.
Gilbert, who worked for the State Department for over 20 years, said a draft of the report explicitly stated that Israel was blocking humanitarian assistance but it was edited at a higher level before being published with the opposite conclusion.
The National Unity party’s bill underscores a growing domestic opposition and highlights a potential shift in Israel’s political landscape, as calls for early elections and a new governing coalition gain momentum amidst the ongoing conflict and humanitarian concerns.
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