Former Israeli defense minister and National Unity chairman Benny Gantz is calling for the formation of a temporary emergency government, demanding that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders put aside politics to tackle two of Israel’s most urgent crises: securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and advancing long-stalled legislation on the military draft of chareidim.

Speaking in a primetime press conference, Gantz warned that “the hostages are in mortal danger” and that IDF reservists “are collapsing under the burden” after nearly two years of war. Evoking Holocaust imagery, he pressed for the creation of what he termed a “government of hostage redemption and equality in the [military] burden,” with a six-month mandate to resolve these issues before sending the country back to elections—shortening the timeline from the scheduled October 2026 vote.

Gantz accused Netanyahu of avoiding a deal with Hamas due to pressure from far-right coalition partners rather than genuine security considerations. “In Hamas’s tunnels, there are 50 hostages… Every hostage whose life is at risk could be our son, your son,” he said, urging the prime minister to break from his right-wing allies and prioritize national responsibility.

“I don’t want to save Netanyahu, but to save the hostages,” he said, pushing back against critics who accused him of repeating past mistakes.

The proposal was met with skepticism. Within an hour, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party issued a statement demanding the hostages’ immediate release “without conditions” and dismissing Gantz’s call as political maneuvering. “The only government that we will be part of is a wall-to-wall Zionist government, and we won’t take part in any spin,” the party said.

Gantz’s call marks the third time he has floated joining Netanyahu in a unity arrangement, following his controversial entry into an emergency government during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, and again after Hamas’s October 7 massacre in 2023. Both efforts collapsed amid acrimony and accusations that Netanyahu had betrayed agreements. The political cost for Gantz was steep, with his poll numbers plummeting and his party fractured.

Beyond the hostages, Gantz spotlighted one of Israel’s most explosive political issues: the decades-old exemption of chareidim from military service. With tens of thousands of reservists serving extended tours since October 2023, public frustration has mounted over what chilonim see as an unfair system.

Gantz framed the six-month emergency government as an opportunity to legislate a more equitable framework while addressing the strain on the IDF.

It remained unclear whether Netanyahu or opposition leader Yair Lapid would respond favorably. Lapid has supported broad unity in principle but has repeatedly ruled out joining any government under Netanyahu.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)