Benjamin Gantz is an Israeli politician and retired army general who served as the minister of Defense between 2020 and 2022 and as deputy prime minister of Israel between 2021 and 2022.
46 Facts About Benny Gantz
2.
Benny Gantz previously served as the alternate prime minister of Israel from 2020 to 2021.
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Benny Gantz served as the 20th chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2011 to 2015.
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Benny Gantz was the 17th Speaker of the Knesset from 26 March 2020 to 17 May 2020.
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On 20 April 2020, Benny Gantz agreed to join a rotation government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Under the terms of the agreement, Benny Gantz would serve as Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, before succeeding Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel in November 2021.
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Benjamin Benny Gantz was born in Kfar Ahim, Israel, in 1959.
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Benny Gantz's mother Malka was a Holocaust survivor, originally from Mezokovacshaza, Hungary.
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Benny Gantz's parents were among the founders of Moshav Kfar Ahim, a cooperative agricultural community in south-central Israel.
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Benny Gantz is a graduate of the IDF Command and Staff College and the National Security College.
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Benny Gantz holds a bachelor's degree in history from Tel Aviv University, a master's degree in political science from the University of Haifa, and an additional master's degree in National Resources Management from the National Defense University in the United States.
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Benny Gantz is married to Revital, with whom he has four children.
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In February 2019, an Israeli-American woman accused Benny Gantz of exposing himself to her 40 years earlier, causing her traumatic disorders.
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Benny Gantz denied all allegations, claiming that such an incident never took place, and that the allegations were politically motivated.
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Benny Gantz volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade.
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In 1979, Benny Gantz became an officer after completing Officer Candidate School.
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Benny Gantz returned to the Paratroopers Brigade and served as a platoon leader and company commander, completed a course in the US Army Special Forces, and fought in the First Lebanon War.
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Benny Gantz served in senior command positions during the Second Intifada and Second Lebanon War.
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Benny Gantz had already been in the process of an honorable discharge from his army service.
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On 13 February 2011, the Israeli government unanimously approved Benny Gantz to be the next IDF chief of staff.
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On 14 February 2011, Benny Gantz returned to the IDF and assumed command as the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
22.
Benny Gantz served for the required three years and was nominated for a fourth year, which he agreed to fulfill, followed by retirement.
23.
In July 2011, Benny Gantz appointed a special committee to address a controversy that had developed concerning mention of the word Elohim, "God", in the military Yizkor prayer.
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Benny Gantz commanded the IDF when it fought against Palestinian factions in Gaza in the campaigns Operation Pillar of Defense and Operation Protective Edge.
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Benny Gantz was the chairman of the Fifth Dimension, a computer security and law enforcement technology company, which specialized in tracking via smartphone spyware.
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Benny Gantz closed due to financial reasons, after its Russian investor Viktor Vekselberg was sanctioned under CAATSA by the United States during the Special Counsel investigation into Russian attempts to interfere with the US election, led by Robert Mueller.
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In December 2018, Benny Gantz announced the formation of a new political party, but did not originally disclose his views or name of the organization.
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On 27 December 2018, Benny Gantz formally established the Israel Resilience Party, with the intention of running in the upcoming April 2019 election.
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On 17 February 2019, at the Munich Security Conference, Benny Gantz enumerated the main challenges of the West as "extremist Iran, Islamic terror, and regional instability".
30.
In December 2021, Benny Gantz described the Islamic Republic of Iran as "the biggest threat to the global and regional peace and stability".
31.
Benny Gantz negotiated with leader of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid, leader of the Telem party Moshe Ya'alon, and former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as with Orly Levy's Gesher.
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Benny Gantz received recommendations from Labor-Gesher, the Democratic Union and the Joint List.
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Benny Gantz failed to form a government, and the mandate passed collectively to the Knesset, who failed to form a government, and dissolved on 12 December, triggering a third election in March of 2020.
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Benny Gantz's nomination was supported by the Likud and members of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, which put the future of the Blue and White alliance in jeopardy.
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Under the terms of the agreement, Netanyahu remained as prime minister, with Benny Gantz serving as Alternate Prime Minister, and the two set to exchange roles in October of 2021.
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In November of 2020, Benny Gantz formed a military committee to investigate Case 3000, a corruption case involving the purchase of submarines.
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Benny Gantz established a second committee in May of 2021 to investigate the treatment of Veterans, after a former soldier of the IDF lit himself on fire in an act of protest.
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On 29 June 2020, Benny Gantz said the Israeli Prime Minister should instead put the COVID-19 pandemic first.
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In May 2021, as Defense Minister, Benny Gantz presided over Operation Guardian of the Walls, a military operation conducted in the Gaza Strip.
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Benny Gantz remained the Defense Minister and became a Deputy Prime Minister.
41.
In October of 2021, Benny Gantz announced that six Palestinian human rights organizations would be designated as terrorist organizations.
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In November of 2021, Benny Gantz became the first Israeli Minister of Defense to visit Morocco, where he signed an agreement for security cooperation with the Moroccan government.
43.
On 30 May 2022, following violence and racist remarks against Palestinians in the annual Dance of Flags, Benny Gantz called for La Familia and Lehava to be designated as terrorist organizations.
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Benny Gantz with United States President Donald Trump in January 2020.
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Benny Gantz with United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May 2020.
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Benny Gantz meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Israel in April 2021.