Washington

Who is Benny Gantz, Israeli official who could upend Gaza war cabinet?

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2024

Who is Benny Gantz, Israeli official who could upend Gaza war cabinet?

Benny Gantz is the leader of Israel’s opposition National Unity party and a member of the government’s war cabinet. On May 18, he gave the leader of the cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an ultimatum: Come up with a plan for the end of the war in Gaza by June 8.

With no plan announced by Friday, June 7, and Gantz set to make public remarks Saturday evening, many will be watching closely to see if he carries out his threat and resigns.

Gantz had been considered a more liberal counterweight to Netanyahu. If he resigns, it will increase the pressure on Netanyahu to bring the war to a conclusion, but some analysts argue that the embattled Israeli prime minister could lean more on his far-right government allies for support.

Here’s what to know about Gantz and the impact his resignation may have on Israel and its government.

Gantz is Netanyahu’s main political rival

Gantz, 64, leads the centrist National Unity party and is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, a position he assumed in 2011. He was born in southern Israel to Holocaust survivors, and joined the military at age 18, working his way up to the top post.

After leaving the military in 2015, he worked in business before turning to politics in 2018. He has enjoyed popularity among Israeli voters since then, known for being a steady, evenhanded antithesis to a sharp and sometimes turbulent Netanyahu.

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After Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Netanyahu formed an emergency war cabinet, a sort of pop-up government to oversee the war in Gaza. The war cabinet is an unlikely grouping of bitter rivals: Its three voting members are Netanyahu, Gantz and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party but a political foe of the prime minister’s.

Gantz is pushing Netanyahu to wrap up the war

With the war in Gaza dragging on, Gantz called on Netanyahu last month to put forward a postwar plan that includes the return of the dozens of hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as a road map to demilitarize the Gaza Strip and identify non-Hamas leaders to govern the enclave.

Gantz said if a plan did not materialize by June 8 — Saturday — he would resign from the war cabinet. Putting the ball in Netanyahu’s court, Gantz said at the time, addressing the prime minister: “The choice is in your hands.”

Since Gantz issued his ultimatum, no such plan has come to fruition. President Biden last week announced what he said was an Israeli proposal that could facilitate the return of hostages and a winding down of the war, but the proposal did not fully address what would happen the “day after” the war, as Israeli and U.S. leaders have referred to concerns about what comes after Israel stops fighting there.

Gantz’s office said in a statement that he will give remarks at 8:40 p.m. Saturday local time, shortly after the end of Shabbat.

Gantz’s resignation could push Netanyahu further to the right

Gantz has acted as a counterbalance to Netanyahu, who draws most of his support from Israel’s right wing. Netanyahu has distanced himself from the cease-fire proposal announced by Biden, bending to pressure from far-right members of his coalition who have said they will pull their support for him if he moves forward with the deal.

If Gantz resigns, it could push Netanyahu to rely even more heavily on Israel’s right-wing, said Shalom Lipner, a nonresident senior fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council.

Gantz’s resignation would “put Netanyahu at the complete mercy of his right-wing and religious fellow travelers who — in the absence of Gantz’s fig leaf — will try to steer policy in a direction that is anathema to the Biden administration and puts Israel’s essential ties with the United States at risk,” Lipner said.

The potential resignation and subsequent political shake-up would come at a fraught time, with cease-fire negotiations dragging on, burgeoning calls from Israelis pushing Netanyahu to facilitate the return of the hostages and the Biden administration growing increasingly frustrated with the war.

Ruby Mellen and Steve Hendrix contributed to this report.

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Washington

Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

Published

16 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.

What we know:

On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.

Dig deeper:

The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”

Users on social media say the event may be sold out.

Check tulipday.eu for updates.

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.

The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

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Washington

Week Ahead in Washington: March 1

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.

Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.

Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.

Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.

Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.

North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.

In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.

Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.

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