With tensions growing in the West Bank, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has been targeted by the settlers. They are demanding that the government launch an actual military operation to prevent any further escalation in the territories.

Over the last few weeks, not a day has gone by without some violent incident or other targeting the Jewish settlers of the West Bank or the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Some of these incidents have even involved firearms.

As defense minister, Gantz finds himself caught in the eye of the storm. He is coming under intense pressure from the settlers, who are using the Nov. 1 election as leverage to force the government — and especially Gantz — to act.

As head of a party with a strong right-wing orientation — the Blue and White party — the pressure being placed on Gantz has the potential to impact his performance in the polls. His party includes two ministers who were former members of the Likud — Gideon Saar and Ze’ev Elkin — who share a similar ideology with that party. They have strong ties with the settlers, and have succeeded in winning support from some right-wing voters. In an election in which every vote counts, Gantz could lose their support from these voters, thereby weakening his position.