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Israel’s Gantz: Netanyahu weak on Gaza

August 17, 2019 at 12:16 pm

Benny Gantz, leader of Israel’s largest opposition party Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) in Tel Aviv on 19 February 2019 [JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images]

Benny Gantz, the leader of the main Israeli opposition party Blue and White (Kahol Lavan), yesterday slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “weak” in the face of Gaza resistance, Al-Resalah reported.

On Twitter, Gantz – the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli army – wrote: “People who are weak in front of Hamas in Gaza might bring a wave of horror to the West Bank,” referring to the latest incidents in the occupied West Bank.

READ: Gantz’s threats effort to win Israel extremists’ votes

He added: “The government of Netanyahu, [Transport Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and [Culture Minister Miri] Regev could not deal with this wave of attacks.”

Netanyahu sitting on Gaza – Cartoon [Sarwar Ahmed/MiddleEastMonitor]

Gantz also expressed his hope for the “speedy recovery” of Israeli settlers who were wounded in an alleged care ramming attack in the occupied West Bank yesterday, in which two settlers and a Palestinian driver were wounded.

He pledged to form “the strongest security government” which “will regain deterrence” if he is elected as prime minister during the upcoming general election, which is slated to take place on 17 September.

Speaking at the 19th Herzliya Conference on Policy last month, Gantz criticised Netanyahu’s policy in dealing with the besieged Gaza Strip, saying he has diminished Israel’s deterrence.

“Deterrence has been replaced by a stuttering that does not make use of Israel’s offensive power,” he said.

Gantz added: “The implications of the policies that the prime minister is leading are also spreading to other regions and arenas,” referring to Israel’s longstanding foe Iran.

READ: Benny Gantz vows to build in southern West Bank settlements