Displaying items by tag: Benny Gantz

19 rockets fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel on 7 August sent local residents into the towns’ shelters. These barrages, the first since the 2006 second Lebanon War, followed similar attacks the previous day. More provocations from Tehran by the new hard-line leader, Ebrahim Raisi, and his proxies increase the likelihood of Israel’s retaliation. The defence minister recently indicated that Israel is ready to counter Iran's aggression. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said the situation is ‘very serious’ and urged everyone to cease fire. But on 11 August rockets were fired again from Lebanon into Israel, which increases the threat of major hostilities after fifteen years. Pray for an end to these ongoing games of brinkmanship so that harmony between Israel and Hezbollah holds. May the prospect of full-scale war be a disincentive for either side to push too far.

Following an attempted cross-border attack on 27 July by Hezbollah, Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Benny Gantz addressed the nation, threatening the Lebanese terror group and its host nations with a decisive counter-strike. ‘Hezbollah is playing with fire. Any attack against us will be met with great strength,’ said Netanyahu. Lowering his face mask, Gantz also addressed reporters, stating, ‘Israel is determined to prevent any threat to our sovereignty, our soldiers, and of course our citizens.’ They spoke after Hezbollah operatives tried to breach the Israel-Lebanon border, exchanging fire with IDF troops during an hour-long stand-off. We can pray, according to Psalm 44, for God to deliver His people from their oppressors, and put to shame those who hate Israel. May Israel praise God all day long and give thanks for ever.

For the first time since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the country will soon have two prime ministers. Benjamin Netanyahu will be the active premier over the coming eighteen months, while Benjamin ‘Benny’ Gantz will be the ‘designated prime minister in rotation’ and replace Netanyahu in September or October 2021. Both Benjamins will enjoy the same government perks: an official residence underwritten by the government, a fleet of official automobiles, a Shin Bet security detail, and more. To prevent Netanyahu from reneging on the rotation agreement, an unprecedented ‘rotation law’ will codify the process and put it on automatic pilot. When voting on the government, Knesset members will authorise the process, including blocking the possibility of changing it. Netanyahu and Gantz will both be sworn in as prime minister, the only difference being that one will begin work immediately and the other one later.

After the election last month, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had 28 days to secure the 61 seats necessary to achieve a functioning majority government by building support from smaller parties in the Knesset. After nearly a month of fraught negotiations he acknowledged his failure to cobble together a coalition, and returned the mandate to President Reuven Rivlin. Rivlin has turned to Netanyahu’s principal rival, Benny Gantz, of the centrist Blue and White party, who tweeted, ‘It is time for blue and white.’ Pray for the new government to bring God glory, and may the fear of God fall on all those who are in the political arena.