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National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz is undoubtedly one of Israel’s most responsible politicians. To him, the state of Israel truly matters above all else. More than once, Gantz has had to rebel against his own political base for the sake of national unity as part of dealing with complex security challenges. His decisions have caused him great political damage in the past and likely in the future.
Such was the case in 2020, when Gantz decided to join Benjamin Netanyahu in a government of national unity to prevent unnecessary re-elections while Israel faced the coronavirus crisis. was. (This decision led to a split in his Blue and White party and subsequently led to Gantz’s political decline among supporters of the centre-left bloc.) The same was true when Gantz’s National Unity Party joined the party a few days later. emergency government.
Despite the national responsibility demonstrated by Gantz and his partners, it is once again a political consideration, rather than necessarily a national responsibility, which prevents the achievement of strategic goals that are critical to Israel’s security and future. There are concerns that this may be the case. This was the case in 2020, when Israel, under the auspices of the Trump administration, missed a historic opportunity to define its borders.
After the Palestinians avoided discussing President Donald Trump’s peace plan, Americans began to push back against Israel, recognizing that the Palestinian Authority and its leaders were not ready to make concessions or compromises for peace. and continued negotiations with moderate Arab states.
Given the Palestinian rejection of President Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” there is an understanding between Jerusalem and Washington that Israel will unilaterally implement elements of the plan, including the Jordan Valley and population. Contains settlement blocks, which account for approximately 30%. The West Bank of the Jordan River will be annexed.
However, political factors come into play here. Blue and White leaders, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, who had previously expressed support for the annexation of the Jordan Valley and settlement blocs, suddenly opposed it. It is a move to secure Israel’s future borders with US support.
As a result, the US government decided not to recognize Israel’s annexation of the Jordan Valley and settlement blocs, realizing that there was no broad national consensus within Israel about this move. And in the framework of the political struggle between Netanyahu and Likud, due to irresponsible political considerations by Gantz and his partners, Israel missed a historic opportunity to determine its future borders – a move that was supposed to constitute Israel’s declaration that it determined its borders. The remaining 70% of the West Bank is not considered part of the Jewish state.
Will Israel miss another historic opportunity?
Today, there are similar concerns that Gantz and his partners will let Israel miss out on a historic opportunity. And this time too, in the name of narrow political considerations. This time, the discussion focuses on the tension between his two main goals for the war: overthrowing Hamas’ rule and freeing all hostages.
Most government officials, as well as the majority of Israelis, believe that continued war and pressure on Hamas will cause leaders to agree to release the hostages without halting the fighting; Some people say: Support a deal with Hamas, even at the cost of a permanent ceasefire and the release of thousands of bloody terrorists, including those who raped, murdered, and massacred Jews on that Black Sabbath. government and opposition parties.
No Israeli citizen disputes that all means must be taken to free the hostages, especially the innocent citizens who were brutally kidnapped from their beds on the morning of October 7th due to the State of Israel’s failure to protect them. . At the same time, there is a historic opportunity to finally eliminate Hamas’ control in the Gaza Strip and to demonstrate to our enemies that the Jewish state is determined to confront those who wish to destroy it.
We must never let this opportunity slip away in the name of narrow-minded political consideration disguised as consideration for hostages. This move is certain to perpetuate Hamas’ control in the Gaza Strip and could even extend its control into the West Bank.
Gantz and his partners would do well to stand firm against pressure from the Middle East’s leftist political base, but many of them still understand that in the Middle East the strong survive and the weak are weeded out. I haven’t. Maintaining a firm stance will demonstrate national responsibility and determination to continue the war until the Hamas regime collapses.
The author is a lecturer and researcher at the University of South Wales, UK. His latest book is Israel: national security and securitization (Springer, 2023).
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