JERUSALEM, May 20 (Xinhua) -- More than seven months into Israel's conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah, severe divisions within the Israeli war cabinet are growing, obscuring clear answers to crucial questions about the conflict's duration, intensity, and scope, as well as the issue of "the day after" in the Gaza Strip.
The deep disagreements have peaked in recent days, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz coming out openly and harshly against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the three-member cabinet.
Gallant urged Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian or military control over the Gaza Strip, adding that he has yet to receive a response from the cabinet regarding a plan for a new Palestinian administration unaffiliated with Hamas.
Gantz even threatened to resign from the war cabinet and the emergency government if the cabinet did not approve by June 8 a comprehensive plan, which included goals of returning the Israeli abductees from Gaza, dismantling Hamas, and establishing multinational governance over Gaza.
Netanyahu said Gantz's demands amounted to nothing more than "washed up words" that would mean "defeat for Israel."
Notably, Netanyahu is under heavy pressure from his far-right partners in the coalition, especially National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both supporting the resumption of full Israeli control, military and civilian, in Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements that were evacuated during the Israeli withdrawal from the strip in 2005.
Eyal Pinko, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, told Xinhua that Gantz has long been influenced by the Americans' interests, actively promoting their ambitions over an extended period.
"If nothing happens by June 8, Gantz will resign, and protesters against Netanyahu will return to the streets on June 9. Thus, it is clear that everything is leading towards June 27 (U.S. presidential debate), planned and coordinated with the Biden administration," according to Pinko's scenario.
Harel Chorev, historian and Palestinian affairs expert at Tel Aviv University, said that "Netanyahu constantly refuses to deal with the post-war issue, while Gantz wants to force him to talk about it and to provide a decent plan."
He said that a divided cabinet might lead to a more right-handed government or policy, being harsher in the Gaza issue, without "the limits and consideration that were affected by Gantz's presence."
Yonatan Freeman, international relations expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, explained Gantz's announcement by the increasing probability of a more intensive war on the northern border with Hezbollah.
"Gantz probably wants a formal plan for Gaza that can be taken into consideration while plans are being made for a possible war in Lebanon," he said.
Freeman noted that Gantz may also feel that elections are on the horizon in Israel, so he is presenting his political platform, especially as opposition leader Yair Lapid is taking a piece of the potential voters' cake with his strong critique of the government.
According to Freeman, the divisions in the war cabinet and the possible departure of Gantz would not impact the way the war is conducted regarding tactics or strategy. Still, they may increase the possibility of elections that will benefit Netanyahu.
He explained that Netanyahu had an advantage due to the fragmented opposition, and secondly, in wartime elections, the incumbent leader might still benefit despite public blame for starting the conflict.
Finally, global criticism of Netanyahu's war conduct could boost domestic support for him, as many see the war as legitimate and moral, Freeman concluded. ■
