By Death Lobel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government on Sunday, withdrawing the only centrist force from the far-right coalition led by the embattled leader amid a months-long war in Gaza.
Netanyahu issued a brief statement in which he called on Gantz not to “abandon the front,” but that his departure would not jeopardize the 64-seat parliamentary majority in the 120-seat Knesset, which is controlled by the ruling right-wing coalition.
“Netanyahu is preventing us from moving toward true victory. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart but with full confidence,” Gantz said in a televised press conference.
Gantz's resignation had been expected since he presented the conservative prime minister with a June 8 deadline to come up with a clear strategy for the next day in Gaza, where Israel is launching a devastating military offensive against the ruling Palestinian group Hamas.
His departure means that Netanyahu will lose the support of the centrist bloc, which helped expand support for the government in Israel and abroad, at a time when diplomatic and domestic pressure is increasing after eight months of the Gaza war.
Gantz was originally expected to announce his resignation on Saturday, but he retracted the statement after Israeli forces rescued four hostages.