03 March 2024 , 16:12
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Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuked a top Israeli Cabinet minister who headed to Washington for talks with US officials as cracks widen in his government over the war in Gaza which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.
Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu's hard-line government early in the war after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, travelled to the US amid deep disagreements between Netanyahu and Joe Biden over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and create a post-war vision for the enclave. Meanwhile, talks aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza are ongoing in Egypt, with mediators hoping to establish a deal to pause the fighting and freeze some of the hostages before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
An official from Netanyahu's Likud party said Gantz's visit was without authorisation from the Israeli leader. The official said Netanyahu had a "tough talk" with Gantz about the trip and told him the country has "just one prime minister".
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Israeli Cabinet minister is meeting US officials for talks (AFP/Getty Images)An Israeli official said Gantz had informed Netanyahu of his intention to travel to the US and to coordinate messaging with him. The official said the visit is meant to strengthen ties with Washington, bolster support for Israel's ground campaign, and push for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
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Gantz is set to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, according to his National Unity party. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss the dispute with the media.
The US airdropped aid into Gaza on Saturday after dozens of Palestinians rushing to grab food from an Israel-organised convoy were killed last week. The airdrops circumvent an aid delivery system that has been hobbled by Israeli restrictions, logistical issues in Gaza, and the fighting inside the tiny enclave. Aid officials say airdrops are far less effective than aid sent via trucks.
US priorities in the region have increasingly been hampered by Netanyahu's hard-line Cabinet, where ultranationalists dominate. However, Gantz's more moderate party at times acts as a counterweight to Netanyahu's far-right allies.
Israeli police officers intervene as demonstrators gather for a protest against Benjamin Netanyahu (Anadolu via Getty Images)Netanyahu has tanked in popularity since the war broke out, according to most opinion polls, with many Israelis holding him responsible for Hamas' cross-border raid that left 1,200 people, mostly civilians, dead and roughly 250 people, including women, children and older adults, abducted and taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. The subsequent fighting has killed at least 30,410 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Around 80% of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, and UN agencies say hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine. Critics say Netanyahu's decision-making has been tainted by political considerations, which he denies.
The criticism is particularly focused on plans for postwar Gaza. Netanyahu has released a proposal that would see Israel maintain open-ended security control over the territory with local Palestinians running civilian affairs.
Palestinian people with empty pots receive food distributed by charity in Gaza (Anadolu via Getty Images)The US wants to see progress on the creation of a Palestinian state, envisioning a revamped Palestinian leadership running Gaza with an eye toward eventual statehood. That vision is opposed by Netanyahu and the hard-liners in his government.
Gantz, who polls show would earn enough support to become prime minister if a vote were held today, has remained vague about his view of Palestinian statehood. Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, said there is "a lot of anger" within Israel, and if Gantz quits the government due to political rifts, discontent might increase in the country.
Palestinians performing Friday prayers among the rubble of the Al-Farooq Mosque, destroyed in an Israeli attack (Anadolu via Getty Images)Meanwhile, as talks continue but a ceasefire has not been agreed yet, at least 14 were killed in a strike on a home in the southernmost city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, director of the hospital where the bodies were taken said. The dead, including six children and four women, were from the same family, he said.
Relatives said another nine people were under the rubble. Israeli airstrikes also hit two homes in the Jabaliya refugee camp, a dense, residential area in northern Gaza, killing 17 people, according to the Civil Defense.
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