Israel DM: Abbas not my friend, we met to achieve Israel’s interests

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz is not a friend of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, he said yesterday, stressing that he has only met with him to achieve Israel’s goals.

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Gantz stressed that the meeting held in his home in Tel Aviv in December 2021 aimed at continuing efforts to build confidence between the two sides.

He reiterated that any meeting he holds with the PA president is in response to Israel’s security needs.

Early on yesterday, Member of the Knesset Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Jewish Power party, said he had an issue with Gantz who invited Abbas to his house in Tel Aviv.

He accused Gantz of sending Israeli soldiers in to danger, noting that he is not a right-winger or centrist, but left-wing.

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