Benny Gantz

Benny Gantz is an Israeli centrist politician and former general who leads the State Camp (HaMahane HaMamlachti / NUP).

Political career

Benny Gantz was born in 1959 and built his public profile first through a long military career, then through national politics. He rose through the ranks of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), serving in senior command posts before becoming Chief of the General Staff of the IDF from 2011 to 2015. That role made him one of the most prominent security figures in Israel and established the image that has shaped his politics ever since: disciplined, security-minded, and institutionally conservative.

After leaving the military, Gantz moved into politics through the Israel Resilience Party, which he founded in 2018. He quickly became a central figure in the centrist anti-Netanyahu bloc during the period of repeated elections that followed. His alliance-building was decisive: Israel Resilience joined with other centrist and former military figures to create Blue and White, which became the main challenger to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.

Although Blue and White did not form a stable government immediately, Gantz’s political career entered a new phase in 2020 when he agreed to enter a unity government with Netanyahu amid the COVID-19 crisis. He became Minister of Defence (2020–2022) and later served as Deputy Prime Minister, in a coalition arrangement that proved politically damaging for some of his supporters but kept him in senior national office.

In 2022, after the collapse of the unity government and the fragmentation of Blue and White, Gantz continued in politics as leader of the State Camp, a centrist alliance built around his party and allies. He has led the party from 2022 to the present and has remained one of the key figures in the broad anti-Netanyahu camp.

Following the Hamas attacks of October 2023, Gantz entered the emergency war cabinet from October 2023 to June 2024, alongside figures from the governing coalition. That role reinforced his reputation as a national-security politician willing to place strategic crisis management above immediate partisan advantage.

Relationship with the public

Gantz has generally been marketed as a serious, moderate, security-first alternative to the country’s more ideologically polarised leaders. His strongest appeal has traditionally been among voters who want a less confrontational style of politics, especially centrist and centre-right Israelis who prioritise defence competence, institutional stability, and a pragmatic tone.

His background as former IDF chief has given him credibility with many voters who are sceptical of politicians without security credentials. At the same time, his public image has often been less charismatic than that of his rivals. Supporters tend to see him as measured and responsible; critics sometimes characterise him as cautious, indecisive, or politically too flexible.

Relations with the media have been mixed but usually less polarised than those of some other Israeli leaders. He is often portrayed as reserved and managerial rather than rhetorical or ideological. During periods of coalition negotiation, he has faced criticism from parts of the public for compromising too readily, especially when he entered Netanyahu’s unity government despite earlier campaign promises to the contrary.

Positions and political profile

Gantz’s political profile is anchored in national security, pragmatism, and institutional continuity. He is widely identified with a centrist approach that favours a strong defence posture while avoiding overt ideological maximalism. He has repeatedly emphasised the importance of Israel’s security establishment, strategic deterrence, and maintaining stable governmental institutions during crisis periods.

On the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Gantz is generally seen as pragmatic rather than transformational. He does not belong to the ideological left, but he is also not associated with the hard right’s annexationist rhetoric. His public positioning often seeks to combine a security-based outlook with openness to diplomatic flexibility, though concrete policy advancement in this area has usually been limited.

A defining feature of his career has been his willingness to make politically risky national-unity decisions. Entering a government with Netanyahu in 2020 was the clearest example: it allowed him to hold senior office but damaged trust among some former allies and voters who had seen him as a clean break from Netanyahu-style politics. Similarly, his participation in the war cabinet after October 2023 reinforced his image as a statesman in times of emergency, but also bound him to difficult wartime choices and eventual tension within the governing structure.

Inside his own camp, Gantz is generally regarded as the central unifying figure, though the party’s identity remains heavily dependent on his personal standing. Outside the party, his perceived strengths are competence and moderation; his main weakness is that he is sometimes seen as lacking a distinctive ideological project beyond being an alternative to Netanyahu politics.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Benny Gantz? Benny Gantz is an Israeli politician and former IDF chief of staff who currently leads the centrist State Camp party and has been one of Israel’s leading security-minded politicians.

What party does Benny Gantz lead? He leads HaMahane HaMamlachti, known in English as the State Camp. It is a centrist political alliance built around his political leadership and associated partners.

What was Benny Gantz’s role in the war cabinet? He served on Israel’s war cabinet from October 2023 to June 2024, during the period following the Hamas attacks and the start of the Gaza war.

Was Benny Gantz ever Minister of Defence? Yes. He served as Minister of Defence from 2020 to 2022, during the unity government period with Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why is Benny Gantz seen as a centrist? Gantz is associated with a moderate, security-focused approach. He is not identified with the ideological left, but he is also less hardline and less polarising than much of the right-wing camp.

What is Benny Gantz best known for before politics? Before entering politics, he was best known as Chief of the General Staff of the IDF from 2011 to 2015, one of the highest and most influential military positions in Israel.