'Public is not buying his political games'

Gantz: Netanyahu ‘unable to lead,’ should take plea bargain and resign

National Unity chief offers himself as alternative, charges security cabinet members don’t ‘understand anything’

National Unity party chair MK Benny Gantz gives a press statement in the southern town of Sderot, May 3, 2023. (Flash90)
National Unity party chair MK Benny Gantz gives a press statement in the southern town of Sderot, May 3, 2023. (Flash90)

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz said Thursday he would back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking a plea bargain in his criminal trial and departing political life.

Speaking to Ynet radio, Gantz denounced Netanyahu’s leadership, charging that he was no longer able to responsibly lead the country since he is entirely concerned with his own interests, and offered himself and his party as an alternative.

Netanyahu is on trial in three cases, facing one count of bribery and three counts of fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing and accuses police, prosecutors, and the media of colluding against him, without offering evidence.

“I think that the Israel of the past four months is not the same as it was four months ago. The public is not buying his political games anymore,” he said. “Netanyahu is first and foremost concerned with his personal situation. I am concerned with the state of the nation.”

According to recent surveys, Gantz has surpassed Netanyahu as the preferred prime minister. His National Unity party has also been predicted to become the largest party in the Knesset if elections were to be held, overtaking both the ruling Likud party and the current largest opposition party Yesh Atid, making him a viable alternative to the current premier.

Israel is not currently in an election period and the next vote is slated for the end of 2026, though it could come at any time if the government falls. Nevertheless, such polls — which are not necessarily reliable — are believed to exert great influence on politicians and parties.

Protesters against the government’s judicial overhaul legislation block the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, May 4, 2023. (Amir Tirkel)

“Israel always comes first, and precisely because Israel comes first, we need to tell Netanyahu, ‘Thank you very much for what you have done until now,'” Gantz stated.

“Netanyahu is unable to deliver in the sense of fulfilling his responsibility as prime minister. He is attached to extremists that are doing whatever they like to him. He is unable to lead a governing agenda,” Gantz said. “I do think Netanyahu is unable to lead the State of Israel. He is held captive by his own agenda.”

On the months-long protests against the government’s controversial judicial overhaul, Gantz said citizens are telling the government: “It’s not only our vote that matters, but it’s also our voice too. You are going to hear our voice.”

“Even Netanyahu’s voters are saying to him that he isn’t doing what he needs to do. I think that this government is completely bankrupt on all fronts — security, the war on the cost of living, of course on the judicial overhaul issue, violence in the Arab community, and the huge damage to our relations with the world in general and with the United States especially,” he said.

Netanyahu paused the legislation at the end of the previous session a month ago, saying he was doing so to allow time for talks, amid countrywide protests by hundreds of thousands of Israelis who said the legislation would destroy Israeli democracy by removing critical checks on the power of the executive.

Protests against the overhaul have continued throughout the past month nonetheless, while government supporters also held a massive rally in Jerusalem last week. Critics say the overhaul will sap the High Court of Justice of its power to act as a check and balance against parliament, dangerously eroding Israel’s democratic character. Supporters say the legislation is needed to rein in what they see as an over-intrusive court system.

Gantz hailed his former government’s policy on the Gaza Strip, stating that they created a balanced policy of standing firm against Palestinian rocket fire, ensuring the economic wellbeing of the enclave while propping up the Palestinian Authority “in the face of terrorist organizations that are trying to take its place.”

A significant portion of Israelis think that the previous coalition, under which Gantz served as defense minister, did a better job handling conflict with the Gaza Strip than the current coalition, according to a poll published by the Kan public broadcaster on Wednesday.

Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli air strike in response to rocket fire, Gaza City, May 3, 2023. (Atia Mohammed/Flash90)

In a tweet on Tuesday, Bennett noted that more rockets were fired at Israel that day than during his year-long tenure as premier, which had been relentlessly slammed as weak by Netanyahu’s bloc.

“There was a period of quiet, a successful period. I completed my role as defense minister with 17,000 [Gazan] laborers crossing into Israel. We have recently seen a lot of rocket fire from Gaza, the most recent was very significant,” Gantz said, referring to the bombardment this week.

Gantz granted that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “understand security,” but slammed the makeup of their security cabinet which includes far-right ministers with little to no army service in key positions, among them National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who was barred from military service by the IDF because of his extremist activities.

“I don’t think there are people there who understand anything about what they’re supposed to decide,” Gantz said.

According to the military, Palestinian terrorists launched 104 projectiles from the Gaza Strip amid the daylong escalation this week, sparked by the death of a prominent Palestinian Islamic Jihad member while on a hunger strike in an Israeli prison.

Eventually responding to the rocket attacks, the IDF struck 16 targets belonging to the Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups across the Strip. The fighting ended when Israel and Gaza terror groups agreed to a ceasefire. Ben Gvir branded the IDF response “feeble” and ordered his far-right Otzma Yehudit faction to boycott Knesset sessions for all of Wednesday, depriving the government of votes from the party.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.