From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 9, 2024
Gantz urges Netanyahu to call new elections in the fall
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
After announcing his resignation and his party’s departure from the government, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set an agreed election date.
“To ensure a real victory, it is appropriate that in the fall, a year [after] the disaster, we will go to elections that will eventually establish a government that will win the people’s trust and be able to face [Israel’s] challenges,” he says.
“I call on Netanyahu: Set an agreed election date. Don’t let our people be torn apart.”
He says the elections will yield “a unity government — Zionist, patriotic, and statesmanlike: a true unity government.”
He also demands the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 disaster.
The Times of Israel Community.