Benny Gantz’ party submits bill to dissolve “Israeli” parliament, hold early elections

The National Unity party, which the “Israeli” war cabinet member Benny Gantz is a member of, has said that it submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset and called for early elections.

"The head of the National Union Party, Pnina Tamano-Shata, has put forward a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset. This follows the request of party leader Minister Benny Gantz to move forward in broad agreement to an election before October, a year since the massacre," the party said in a statement, cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The Likud Party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the call as unnecessarily disharmonious and damaging to the war effort.

“In the midst of a war, Israel needs unity, not division. The dissolution of the unity government is a reward for [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar, a surrender to international pressures and a fatal blow to the efforts to free our abductees,” the Likud said in a statement – cited by “The Times of Israel”.

The decision comes as “Israeli” war cabinet has been facing growing tensions since Oct. 7, 2023; particularly between Gantz and Netanyahu on various topics, mainly the lack of a “day-after” plan for the Gaza Strip, in addition to disagreements on engaging Hezbollah on the northern front.

Previously, Gantz issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu by threatening to withdraw from the coalition unless the latter conforms and commits to a vision for the ongoing aggression on the Strip.