Hebrew Newspaper: Between Netanyahu and Gantz: US determines who it wants as prime minister

By Anna Bursky

One of the reasons for Bani Gantz remaining in the emergency government alongside Netanyahu is the American position that he should not leave the leadership now, and there are other factors of course, one of which is that he is not an "American project", but rather he is an independent political figure, he has comrades in the government and a team of advisers, and he has his own considerations. Polls show that the majority of his supporters want the official camp's continued cooperation with the Netanyahu government.

The end of the war is still far away, the kidnapped are still in Gaza, and Hezbollah continues its attacks on the northern settlements, and the decision regarding the northern front has not yet been made. From whatever angle the public looks at the picture, it believes that Gantz leaving the government, and the state going to the elections, are not the right steps now.

For this reason, Gantz still plays the role of paramedic, and does not take an irreversible step, but that is not all; the American component is important in the policy chosen by the head of the official camp, and apparently, the interest of the American administration meets the interest of Gantz and his friends, and it is reasonable to assume that it was not difficult for Gantz to inform Netanyahu of his upcoming trip to Washington after it was arranged, and not before.

Gantz will make a double profit here if not more; His political visit to the United States (and later to Britain), which includes a series of meetings with senior officials in the Biden administration and parties from both parties, the Republican and the Democratic, makes a major contribution to strengthening his independent and leadership image that advances in opinion polls week after week.

And the political visit to Washington not only sheds light on Gantz's independence, distinguishing him from Netanyahu and his partners on the right, but also makes him the first candidate for the head of government in Israel, and the visit also strengthens Gantz's position in front of American officials as a strong and leading political figure in Israel, and so far, this is a net profit for him.

But there is also another winner, which is the American side; After many leaks and a group of hints came from the American administration, and addressed to Netanyahu, all of which expressed the displeasure of the American president, Joe Biden, and those close to him because of the behavior of his government and the extreme right-wing elements in it, and of the inability of the American administration and its unwillingness and acceptance of this behavior; and after all this, it is now time to move to the next stage; "Divid and Conquer".

It can be assumed that Gantz will receive a royal reception and excellent hospitality, and the message from Gantz's visit to Netanyahu will be: "We have been disappointed in you and in our attempts to reach understandings with you. Now we will talk to someone who cooperates with us, and maybe soon he will replace you as the head of the Israeli government."

Gantz's visit without prior approval from Netanyahu joins the attempt of the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to set a private date with the Chief of Staff during his last visit to the country, and at that time it took place in Netanyahu's inner court, where the American side cannot define its rules. But this time, Gantz has been invited into the inner court of Biden and his staff, and in this way, Netanyahu will stay in the country watching what is happening and building his defense line.