Benny Gantz, a relative neophyte in Israeli politics who vowed during three inconclusive elections not to serve under a criminally indicted Prime Minister, was sworn in on May 17 as Benjamin Netanyahu’s Deputy Premier. Under the deal he agreed in April, which supporters have derided as a betrayal of trust, the former Army Chief of Staff will swap roles after 18 months with the country’s longest-serving leader.
Mr. Netanyahu had previously resorted to a relentless smear campaign against his opponent, calling Mr. Gantz a traitor because he was willing to take the support of Israel’s Arab parties to dislodge him. The latter has, however, justified his U-turn in terms of having to save the country from COVID-19 and to avert a fourth general election.
‘The Prince’
Mr. Gantz is best remembered for the 2014 military campaign he spearheaded against Hamas. The son of Holocaust survivors, he was drafted to the Israeli Defence Forces in 1977. His rise through the military ranks was quick — he became a Brigadier General at 39 and Major General at 42. Soldiers called him “the Prince”.
In December 2018,