Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet, arrives for a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2024 in Washington, DC. Gantz is in Washington to meet with political leaders about Israel's war with Hamas. (Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)
Israeli minister Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and main rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called Wednesday for snap parliamentary elections in September.
Netanyahu faces pressure from several sides, including protests demanding boosted efforts to secure the release of hostages taken in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack that sparked war in Gaza.
"We must set a consensual date for the month of September, or if you prefer for the first anniversary of the war," said Gantz, who is also a lawmaker, in a speech from his office in Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
Netanyahu's Likud party rejected the call, but it was welcomed by the leader of the US Senate who last month urged new elections in a strident criticism of Netanyahu's handling of the war.
"When a leading member of Israel's war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70 percent of the Israeli population agrees according to a major poll, you know it's the right thing to do," Senator Chuck Schumer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Early elections require the agreement of 61 elected officials, or the majority of deputies in the Knesset, where the Likud has the most seats without however having a majority.
Netanyahu's Likud said elections while Israel is at war "would inevitably lead to paralysis" and harm the military's fight in Gaza.
Demonstrations by opponents of Netanyahu have brought together thousands of people in recent weeks and particularly since Saturday, notably in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Protesters and the relatives of hostages taken on Oct. 7 called for the resignation of the premier.
According to the latest polls, in the event of early elections, Gantz would be well ahead of Netanyahu, whose popularity has been declining since the unprecedented Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, mainly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data.
Palestinian militants took more than 250 hostages on Oct. 7 and presently 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 who the army says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,975 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Israeli minister Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and main rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called Wednesday for snap parliamentary elections in September.
Netanyahu faces pressure from several sides, including protests demanding boosted efforts to secure the release of hostages taken in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack that sparked war...