Benny Gantz urged a post-election Zionist unity government spanning Right and Left to mend Israel's political rift. He warned that the current US–Iran framework represents a strategic missed opportunity—particularly regarding Lebanon—and insisted Israel must preserve independent security options. Gantz also criticized Netanyahu's alignment with one U.S. political camp and discussed his new book, We, and his efforts to balance family and public service.
Gantz Calls For Zionist Unity Government, Warns On US–Iran Deal and Lebanon
Benny Gantz speaks at the Knesset May 11, 2026. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Blue and White chairman and former defense minister Benny Gantz said Israel’s next government should bring together Zionist parties from both the Right and the Left to heal the country’s deep political divide.
Speaking to 103FM on Sunday, Gantz recalled a recent stop at a coffee cart in Kibbutz Ruhama where a woman approached him in tears. "She said: ‘If Netanyahu stays in power, you will not go to officers' course,’" he said. Gantz added that other voices in the country make similar threats when different leaders are mentioned.
"The rift in the country is killing us. I have no shadow of a doubt that if we do not want more of the same, we must form a Zionist unity government, because the Zionist majority in the country is the one truly carrying the wagon," he said.
Gantz expressed skepticism about the strategic value of the current US–Iran framework, particularly in how it affects the situation in Lebanon. "The feeling is not one of failure, because the military and operational achievements are very high, but of a strategic missed opportunity," he said, arguing that Israel failed to translate military gains into lasting strategic advantages with respect to Lebanon and with U.S. policy toward Iran.
(L-R) National Unity party head Benny Gantz and party member Gadi Eisenkot. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
He warned that Israel must prepare to face these security challenges over the coming years, including by maintaining military readiness. Responding to reports that any ceasefire tied to Iran might also limit Israeli operations in Lebanon, Gantz said Israel must insist that "Beirut is not the same as Tehran" and retain the independence to defend itself.
Gantz accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of shifting Israel’s approach to the United States by aligning more closely with one U.S. political camp. "We are the only Western democratic outpost in the Middle East. When we moved toward one direction, we remained captive to one direction, and that is Netanyahu's failure," he said, adding that Netanyahu yielded to pressure from Washington on key decisions.
On a personal note, Gantz described attending a Jerusalem book fair as an author for the first time. His new book, We, draws on writings and conversations with his wife, Revital. He said the couple had hoped to write together, but after Revital fell ill he decided to tell her story.
Asked whether he felt guilty about time spent away from home because of military and public duties, Gantz acknowledged normal feelings of guilt. "I learned to deal with three axes: taking care of Revital, taking care of my family, and taking care of my country. I learned to handle this braid, and I am trying to deal with it as much as I can," he said.
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