- Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, on Wednesday called for elections to be held in September to "maintain unity" and "renew trust" in the government. Gantz said he had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes holding early elections. The Times of Israel (a)
- Netanyahu's Likud party rejected Gantz's call — stating that the government would stay in place "until all the goals of the war are achieved" — and argued that elections would lead to "paralysis and division" during "this fateful moment." The Times of Israel (b)
- Gantz, insisting that Netanyahu must "publicly support" the families of hostages still held by Hamas, claimed that a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia — which he said would include "the establishment of an international directorate for the Gaza Strip headed by Arab states" — was "within reach." Jerusalem Post (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority (PA), which partially administers the West Bank alongside Israel, sent a letter requesting membership to the UN as an independent member state. The UN rejected a similar request in 2011, but changed its "non-member observer entity" status to "non-member observer state" a year later. CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Though the US reportedly favors a "reformed" PA to run Gaza after the war, Israeli officials have typically avoided including the Authority in their post-war plans. Some Israeli officials have openly rejected proposals including the return of a PA to Gaza or the establishment of a Palestinian state. CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Earlier this week, Hamas accused the PA of sending security officers into northern Gaza disguised as security for aid distribution and logistics. Hamas said six members of the PA team were arrested and that the rest would be soon found, though it hasn't provided any evidence for these claims. Al Arabiya
Left narrative:
- Netanyahu is losing this war, and Israelis must find a way to oust him from power. Whether his right-wing coalition collapses, the Knesset enacts a vote of "constructive no confidence," the opposition withdraws from the unity government, or demonstrators put the heat on him, Netanyahu can't be allowed to drive Israel into the abyss. With Netanyahu's popularity at an all-time low, now might be the time to find a new premier.
NEW YORK TIMES (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Right narrative:
- The aftermath of Oct. 7 has presented a challenge to the US and Israel, but the rhetoric being deployed against Netanyahu is unreasonable. New elections would essentially paralyze the war effort and weaken Israel to a point where it could very well lose this existential struggle with terror. The only winner resulting from the left's attack on Netanyahu is Hamas.
ISRAEL HAYOM
Pro-Palestine narrative:
- The debate in Israel, the US, and the West more broadly is completely divorced from the material reality of the Palestinian people, who care little about which brand of Israeli leader is bombing them and which corrupt technocrat is chosen to run the PA. Palestinians want to be free in their homeland, yet their dreams are purposefully ignored by US and Israeli leaders who would rather force Palestinians into submission.
MIDDLE EAST EYE
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 35% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)