Benny Gantz is an Israeli lawmaker and current minister-without-portfolio, who currently leads the National Unity party.
He was born in Kfar Ahim, a moshav that his parents helped found. His mother was a Holocaust survivor and his father was arrested by British authorities for attempting to enter pre-state Israel.
Gantz was drafted to the IDF in 1977 and served in the 1982 Lebanon war. He also participated in Operation Solomon, a covert mission that rescued Ethiopian Jews in 1991.
After serving as the IDF's chief of staff, in 2018 Gantz announced the formation of a new political party, what would later become Blue and White. He would eventually become the country's defense minister before joining the opposition and then rejoining an emergency government due to the war against Hamas.
He earned a history degree from Tel Aviv University, a Political Science masters degree from Haifa University and a National Resource Management master’s degree from the United States National Defense University.
He and his wife, Revital, live in Rosh Ha’ayin.
MK Ze'ev Elkin told 103FM that the partnership between Sa'ar and Gantz ended because Gantz was not interested in forming a joint democratic party.
Across the different protests, speakers denounced not only the members of the governing coalition, but also those who sit in the opposition or are seen as checks on Netanyahu in the war cabinet.
From the Likud’s perspective, the move was a positive development, as it weakened both Gantz’s and Ben-Gvir’s leverage over Netanyahu.
National Unity leader Benny Gantz responded to the announcement made by MK Gideon Sa'ar on Tuesday, claiming he was aware of Sa'ar's general plans though not the particular timing.
While Netanyahu thus received a lifeline for the short-term, political energy is now at a new level and public pressure for an election is likely to increase.
The poll found strong support for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to examine the October 7 massacre.
“We expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections. A different, more moderate government is a possibility,” the report stated.
Although Netanyahu will still enjoy a majority in Israel's parliament if National Unity leaves the government, the party's exit is widely viewed as a trigger that will lead to protests.
Yair Lapid lambasted the chief rabbi’s remarks on Sunday, stating, “Rabbi Yosef's words are an insult and disgrace to the IDF soldiers who risk their lives to defend the country."
The 47-year-old pact, whereby ultra-Orthodoxy got wholesale draft exemptions, budgets, and subsidies in turn for joining Likud’s coalitions will next month come to an end.