When the new government was formed, it was expected there would be battles between ministers on the Right and Left on matters of religion and state, and between Ra’am (United Arab List) and every other party in the coalition.
But no one would have expected that the first turf war among ministers would be started by Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White).
Gantz surprised the other party leaders in the coalition when he announced on Saturday night that he would be initiating a state commission of inquiry into the process in which Israel Navy ships and submarines were purchased in the so-called Submarine Affair, or Case 3000. He made the decision without consulting them or seeking their approval.
He took the process a step further when he submitted a draft proposal to the Finance and Justice ministries on Tuesday and announced that he would bring the matter to a vote at next Sunday’s cabinet meeting, despite Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s request to him that the matter be handled quietly at first and jointly by them.
The announcement angered Sa’ar, who released a sternly worded response, saying that his ministry had not received a draft proposal on forming the commission. Sa’ar referred reporters to a clause in the coalition agreement prohibiting ministers from submitting proposals that are within the authority of another minister.
“This behavior of hurrying to put out press releases on proposals without first discussing and coordinating them is unprofessional and unacceptable,” Sa’ar’s spokesman said. “Forming a commission of inquiry is a weighty issue. Hurrying and proceeding without deliberations cannot be accepted.”
Sa’ar noted that the cabinet decided last Sunday to form a commission of inquiry to probe the Meron disaster but its members had not yet been appointed. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked also expressed her outrage.
This was not the only issue on which Gantz has angered his fellow ministers. He has also gotten caught leaking information from closed-door meetings, as he did in the previous government, when he published transcripts of the ministerial committee on the coronavirus.
Gantz’s critics said he was acting out of frustration over not becoming prime minister. The previous coalition agreement said he would rotate with then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November.
Watching Naftali Bennett become prime minister and Yair Lapid alternate prime minister has obviously not been easy for him. In a recent meeting with Blue and White activists, he condemned his own coalition partners for their hypocrisy in criticizing the previous government for its size and its alternating prime ministers.
But sources close to Gantz said he has kept whatever frustration he has inside and has resisted many opportunities to put himself ahead of the country, like opposing building in settlements or fighting Ra’am on family reunification of Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.
The sources said he could have caused a ruckus but chose not to. They said Gantz’s strategy was to do what he wanted to do in the previous government but could not because of Netanyahu. As for the Submarine Affair probe, he said that if Yamina and New Hope oppose it, they should say it, instead of trying to prevent it using procedural technicalities.
In an interview with Matan Hodorov at Wednesday’s Pride Convention, he said he was not concerned about disputes in the new government.
“What really has to be decided is how we handle things when we disagree, so we can move forward,” he said.