Netanyahu’s Party Blames Opposition for Driving Wedge With Washington

Likud members also accused Israeli officials of trying to overthrow the government

Internal divisions within the Israeli government are reportedly deepening following Washington’s abstention from the latest resolution at the UN Security Council.

Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party have accused Benny Gantz, a war cabinet member and opposition leader of the National Unity Party, of further straining the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv.

Hebrew news site Ynet reported on 27 March that “relations between Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden “are at an unprecedented low,” adding that “the Prime Minister's party blames” Gantz for this.

“The rift in relations between Israel and the United States reached a new peak after Washington did not veto the Security Council's decision … in Likud they specifically point to Minister Benny Gantz as the one to blame for the crisis with the White House,” it cites ministers and Knesset members as saying.

Ynet added that both Gantz and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant – a Likud member himself – have “teamed up” in order to “lead to elections” and overthrow the government.

Gantz traveled to Washington in early March for talks with US officials, which enraged Netanyahu, who said he did not authorize the visit. The Israeli premier has yet to receive an invitation to the US capital.

The Ynet report comes one day after Gallant’s visit to the US, which marked the second official Israeli visit since Gantz’s trip to Washington. Gallant’s trip aimed to quicken the supply of US weapons to Israel and discuss preparations for escalation against Hezbollah, according to a Haaretz analysis.

Similar to what Ynet wrote, the Haaretz piece also said that Gallant’s aim is to “bring down” Israel’s current government.

The US abstained from a UN Security Council Resolution on 25 March, demanding an immediate temporary ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu, who was expecting a veto, decided to respond by canceling an Israeli delegation's visit to Washington aimed at discussing the planned attack on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah and possible alternatives.

The cancellation left Gallant “alone in DC,” The Times of Israel reported, adding that the war minister attempted to smooth over tensions between the US and Israel. Netanyahu has also blamed the collapse of truce negotiations on Washington, which did not explicitly condition a ceasefire on the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza.

The tension comes as members of the Israeli government are embroiled in a deep dispute over a draft law that seeks to extend the exemption of the ultra-orthodox community from military service.

Gantz, Gallant, and other officials are vehemently opposed to the bill and assert that all members of Israeli society must bear the burden of military service, particularly during a war when the army faces a serious manpower crisis.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle

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3/2 — Netanyahu Fumes Over Gantz Washington Visit

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11/12 — After Netanyahu finished his speech, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet, ignored Netanyahu and turned their backs to him
Military Draft Bill Creates Rift in Israeli Government

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