Written by Maayan Rubel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Last week, the prime minister faced a request from the ICC prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant against him over the Gaza war, a public rebuke from his ministerial partners and a threat to resign from his cabinet.
The decision by the International Criminal Court prosecutor is unlikely to do much harm to Prime Minister Netanyahu among voters, with many Israelis currently supporting him.
But problems abound for Netanyahu on a number of fronts, and the coalition’s long-term political prospects are widely seen as setback.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and leader of the right-wing Likud party, has gone into battle.
“I’m not worried about my future, I’m worried about Israel’s future,” Netanyahu told CNBC on Wednesday. “I’m going to do what I have to do to end this war.”
On Monday he dismissed ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s claims that as Israeli prime minister he was responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza as a “complete distortion of reality.”
He also fended off criticism from the defense minister. Yoav GallantLast week, he called on him to abandon any military reoccupation of Gaza, but his office dismissed the threat from war ministers. benny gantz Prime Minister Netanyahu will resign if he does not commit to an agreed vision for post-conflict Gaza.
Khan’s announcement prompted Israelis to briefly rally to the prime minister’s defense against what President Isaac Herzog described as a “unilateral action” based in bad faith.
However, that solidarity may not last very long. Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the ICC statement, but also vowed to continue efforts to overthrow the Netanyahu government.
Mr. Gantz also defended Mr. Netanyahu over Mr. Khan’s announcement, but two of Mr. Gantz’s aides said that if Mr. Netanyahu did not commit to a six-point plan for Gaza and Israel by June 8, he would resign from the cabinet. Gantz’s threat remains valid, he said.
threat to the coalition
If Gantz resigns, Prime Minister Netanyahu will lose the support of some of his toughest political opponents and centrists who have helped build support for his government in Israel and abroad.
The prime minister will still control a majority in parliament with the support of ultranationalist parties, which had infuriated Washington before the war and have called for a return to full Israeli occupation of Gaza ever since.
This could put new pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu, exacerbate already evident tensions in relations with the United States, and raise new questions about how long such a regime could survive. .
“In terms of Congress, it can and will continue to exist for a while, but it won’t last long,” said political analyst Amotz Asael. “War in any democracy requires consensus and requires a government that is followed by a clear majority in the mainstream and political system.”
“This cannot be achieved with a narrow-minded government like the one left in Israel after Gantz leaves office,” said Asa El, a researcher at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
The government is also facing a series of difficulties over the new military conscription bill.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners are determined to maintain military exemption for religious seminarians, but Mr. Gallant and Mr. Gantz want more equal national service for all Israelis.
Political analysts say failure to reach a deal could cause the government to collapse on an issue that has long been a concern for Israelis and has become even more sensitive during the Gaza war. A cabinet minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he did not expect the government to survive.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s popularity was also hurt by security failures in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 last year. In response, Israeli forces launched an offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Some analysts believe that a potential deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia could be a political lifeline for Netanyahu.
The White House said on Monday that the United States and Saudi Arabia are nearing a final agreement on a bilateral defense agreement and, once the deal is completed, will decide whether to make concessions to the Palestinians to ensure normalization of relations with Palestine. It will be part of a broader agreement presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2019. Riyadh.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Netanyahu did not respond to a request for comment.
(Edited by Timothy Heritage)
