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(A7) The Prime Minister’s Office responded to the ultimatum set by Minister Benny Gantz on Saturday night to the Netanyahu government.
“While our heroic soldiers are fighting to destroy the Hamas battalions in Rafah, Gantz chooses to set an ultimatum to the Prime Minister instead of setting an ultimatum to Hamas. The conditions set by Benny Gantz are whitewashed words that clearly mean ending the war and a defeat for Israel, abandoning most of the hostages, leaving Hamas intact, and establishing a Palestinian state. Our soldiers did not fall in vain and certainly not for the sake of replacing ‘Hamasstan’ with ‘Fatahstan,'” The Prime Minister’s Office said.
“If Gantz prefers the national interest and is not looking for an excuse to overthrow the government, he should answer the following three questions: 1 – Is he willing to complete the operation in Rafah to destroy the Hamas battalions, and if so, how is it possible that he threatens to dismantle the emergency government in the midst of the operation? 2 – Does he oppose civilian control of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, even without Abbas? 3 – Is he willing to accept a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank as part of the normalization process with Saudi Arabia?”
“The Prime Minister’s stance on these crucial issues is clear: Prime Minister Netanyahu is determined to eliminate the Hamas battalions, he opposes the entry of the Palestinian Authority into Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state which will inevitably be a state of terror. The Prime Minister thinks the emergency government is important for achieving all the war’s objectives, including recovering all our captives, and expects Gantz to clarify his positions to the public on these issues.”
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In response, Minister Gantz’s office stated: “1. If the Prime Minister had listened to Gantz, we would have entered Rafah months ago and completed the mission. We need to complete it, and create the necessary conditions for it.”
“2. The Palestinian Authority will not be able to govern Gaza, other Palestinian factions might – but only if we create backing from moderate Arab countries and American support. It would be advisable for the Prime Minister to focus on this and not sabotage these efforts.
“3. As Gantz said in a speech – there is no intention to establish a Palestinian state, and this is not the demand of the Saudis. Gantz, unlike Netanyahu, did not return Hebron nor announce support for a two-state solution.”
“4. If the emergency government is important to the Prime Minister, it would be wise to conduct the required discussions, make the necessary decisions, and not drag his feet for fear of the extremists in his government.”
The chairman of Religious Zionist party and the Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich responded, “Benny, the dragging on in the war is because of you and your colleagues in the misconception cabinet who even after October 7 continue to push for stopping the war and establishing a Palestinian state under American pressure.”
“The State of Israel will win with Gantz or without him, thanks to the heroic soldiers and the people of Israel. I call on the Prime Minister to make a strategic decision on full Israeli control over Gaza and decide that from now on we will not stop our forces in Rafah, in the center, and in the north of the Strip until we achieve all the goals of the war: the destruction of Hamas, the return of the captives, and the removal of the threat, both in the south and in the north facing Hezbollah.”
