Israel is heading for next catastrophe due to internal division, warn Gantz and Eisenkot

Israel is heading for “the next catastrophe due to internal division,” National Union party leader Benny Gantz MK and former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot MK have warned. The two parliamentarians added that they will do everything in their power to prevent the outbreak of a “civil war”.

They made their remarks in a joint statement issued from the Knesset amid the ongoing division in Israel which follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, Ronen Bar; the Supreme Court’s suspension of the decision; the government’s unanimous vote of no confidence in Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara; and the public uproar that this has all caused.

“We came here today out of our responsibility,” said Gantz, who is also a former chief of staff of the Israel occupation forces. “We said this before 7 October [2023]. We wrote and warned, but the government didn’t listen. So, we are here again to warn.”

Gantz served as Defence Minister from 2020 to 2022. He pointed out that, “While there are many security challenges from abroad, Israel’s security is at risk due to the internal division.”

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He warned that they are now at “6 October”, but in a more dangerous way, noting that they have achieved tremendous operational accomplishments, but face enemies who cannot only be influenced by rational considerations.

“Above all, there are 59 of our brothers [Israeli captives] in Gaza. When we tear the people apart from within, we strengthen Hamas’s determination and give them hope that they can break us. The most urgent matter now is the return of our captives.”

Anyone who ignores what is happening is knowingly harming the country’s security, said Gantz. “The foundation is being laid for the next disaster and giving ammunition to our enemies.”

According to Eisenkot, “While most Israeli citizens support the immediate return of the captured soldiers and the continuation of the decisive war on terrorism [sic] until its defeat, the government is focused on the struggle against the gatekeepers [the heads of Israel’s security services] and the judicial system.”

Addressing Netanyahu directly, he added: “Under your leadership, Israel is waging a war that began with the most dangerous event in its history, occurring under your direct responsibility, and it does not achieve the war’s objectives.”

This “struggle against the judicial system” includes a unanimous government vote on Sunday to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. Protests erupted subsequently in various parts of Israel, including outside Netanyahu’s office and his residence on Gaza Street in West Jerusalem.

In a related development, the Supreme Court set Sunday, 8 April, as the date for hearing petitions against the dismissal of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar. The froze the government’s decision to dismiss Bar on Friday pending consideration of petitions filed by opposition parties against his dismissal.

The Israeli government had earlier in the day approved unanimously Netanyahu’s proposal to dismiss Bar, a decision which is a first in Israel’s history, despite protests from thousands of Israelis.

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