(Last update: March 15, 2020)
Benny Gantz is a former Israeli soldier. He's a retired Army Chief-of-Staff--the highest position an Israeli soldier can achieve in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Now, out of the army, he wants a new job. He wants to be Israel's next Prime Minister.
He has no political experience. He's never run for political office. He's never been appointed to a political post. He's never served in a civilian, government administration.
Nevertheless, he feels he's ready to be Israel's next Prime Minister. He certainly believes in his ability to step away from his life-long military bubble--and into that no-holds-barred fight club called, Israel's political stage.
But he's wrong. Retired military leaders in Israel don't make stellar civilian leaders. Especially to a voter on Israel's political Right, too many former generals have groomed themselves to be too far Left to be trusted (here). Most such generals who became PM have not left Israel a legacy of greater security (here).
Unfortunately for us Israelis, Gantz may not be any different. He's actually never proven he has the ability to lead successfully outside his military bubble. Indeed, the only non -military leadership experience he has had since leaving the Army ended in bankruptcy--and now, it seems, under the shadow of a criminal investigation as well (here).
That's not exactly an auspicious foundation to a political career. It's certainly not proof he can handle the rigors of being Prime Minister. But it is proof he can run a business into the ground.
He doesn't care. He has a big dream. He believes in that dream.
He's proving himself to be unrealistic. Has he bitten off more than he can chew--or digest?
Consider just one (rather important) item.
Gantz's initial efforts on the path to fulfilling this dream of civilian leadership seemed positive. Just 9 days after the first of the 3 current Israel elections which have attempted--but failed--to elect Israel's next Prime Minister, Blue-and-White (B/W) Party leader Gantz made a clear and rational leadership declaration. He stated, with military precision, what kind of people he would choose to serve with him in his government, should Israel's President ask him to build a governing coalition (here).
He identified 4 criteria for anyone who sought to join his government. He said he'd choose people who were (1) Jewish; (2) Zionist; (3) not 'extremists'; and (4) who were committed to 'working for the good of Israel' (ibid).
That was clear. It was to-the-point. It certainly sounded like something a candidate to be Israel's next leader might say, right?
Of course, that statement describing these characteristics came with a clear meaning: it meant that Benny Gantz would not choose to form a government with people who were (1) not Jewish; (2) not Zionist; (3) who were extremist in their anti-Israel views (that is, so far as most Israelis were concerned); and (4) who appeared to be spending their political careers doing everything except 'work for the good of Israel'.
Gantz understood this. We know he understood this because he also said, back in March 2019, that he'd "not engage the Arab-majority parties in his efforts to form a government" (here).
Can't get any clearer than that. Gantz wouldn't do "election business" with anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist anti-Israel Arabs.
Almost a year later, in February 2020, Gantz repeated this. He said, again very clearly: he would not rely upon the Arab Joint List. He explicitly re-stated his vow not to sit in a government with Arab Parties (here).
Can't get any clearer than that, either. Gantz, like Netanyahu, said he would not sit in a government with anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, pro-terrorist advocates.
But--despite these promises--Gantz's chief rival for the Prime Minister's seat, the current Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) didn't believe Gantz. For example, just a month after the second-of-three elections, in October 2019, Netanyahu warned that Gantz would, in fact, form a government with the backing of 'dangerous Arab Parties' (here).
The next month, Netanyahu did that again. He attacked Gantz by subtly warning that Gantz was trying to form a government by relying upon Arab Parties (here). Netanyahu said that such an attempt would expose Israel to an "unprecedented emergency" (ibid).
Then, in February 2020, Netanyahu said it yet again. Even as Gantz stated explicitly that he would not sit in a government with the Arab Parties (here), Netanyahu said, yes, Gantz will do exactly that. Indeed, Netanyahu said in a radio interview (here), Gantz's "lie has been revealed...Gantz is admitting that he will rely on support from the Joint List in order to form a government” (ibid).
For his part, Gantz didn't like being called a liar. He replied to Netanyahu by 'letting loose' on 'Netanyahu's 'dirty spin machine'. He said, 'Netanyahu will lie and say anything he needs in order to get elected' (here).
That, it has turned out, was an interesting comment because in the end, Netyanyahu wasn't lying about Gantz. Netanyahu was telling the truth. Netanyahu had been right all along.
Since the end of the third-of-so-far-three-elections-to-elect-a-Prime-Minister, Gantz has been working overtime to form a government by turning to anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist, terror-supporting Arab leaders in the Knesset--implying while doing that that any Netanyahu government will not serve Arab needs (here).
At first, Gantz said he would only rely upon the Arab Joint List to form his government, and wouldn't include Arabs in his coalition. But now, he strongly hints he will actually include those Parties in his government (here)
So much for Netanyahu being the liar, right?
Forming a government with Arab Parties has never happened in Israel, ever (here). Now, Gantz is trying to do exactly that--after having lied about it through at least two of the last three elections. His 'trick' is, he's using the coronavirus as his excuse. He claims to want 'all segments' of Israel's society to fight corona, thereby implying that a Netanyahu government won't help Israel's Arab population unless the Arab Joint List is included in a new, 'unity' government. Gantz offers no proof of such a suggestion.
Is this what Israelis voted for him to do--break campaign promises--and make outrageous, anti-Arab suggestions?
Right now, Gantz's dream isn't doing so well. First, among the Arab Parties whose support Gantz so desperately needs to become PM, there are at least 3 Arab Members of Knesset who openly oppose supporting him. This is a potential disaster for Gantz. To become PM, Gantz needs the vote of 61 Members of the Knesset to support him for PM. If three Arab Members of the Knesset do not support Gantz, the number of votes he'd get from the Arab Parties would fall to 12 votes (the 15 votes of the entire Joint List, minus these 3 'defections').
Counting all those 15 votes of the Joint List as 'his', Gantz had 62 votes to become PM. He only needs 61 (of a total of 120 Knesset Members). Losing 3 such votes puts him at a new total of 59 votes. That won't be enough to become PM.
It gets worse for Gantz. One member of the Leftist (and Gantz-supporting) Labor-Gesher-Meretz Party has now also openly stated she will not support Gantz forming a coalition if Gantz relied upon the backing of the Arab Joint List (here). Her 'defection' from supporting Gantz drops the Gantz-for-PM total to 58 seats. That's the same number Netanyahu has.
To be PM, both Gantz and Netanyahu need more than 58 seats. With this Leftist 'defection', Gantz' dream evaporates.
But it gets even worse for Gantz. There are now at least two members of Gantz's own Blue-White Party who have said they would not support Gantz attempting to form a coalition by relying on the Arab Joint List (here). This could drop Gantz' seat total further--perhaps to 56 seats.
His path to Prime Minister appears to slip away. Will it?
UPDATE: News reports now say that the entire Arab Joint List--all 15 Arab Members of Knesset--will support Gantz for PM (here). Suddenly, Gantz has reason to hope his dream will come true.
Will it? Will he become Israel's next Prime Minister?
Stay turned. This drama isn't over.
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