Gantz: Agreement With Palestinians Not Likely in Foreseeable Future

In an interview with Kan TV, Gantz also rejected the possibility of forming a coalition with the Arab-majority party of Hadash-Ta’al

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Saturday that there is no possibility of reaching an agreement with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future.

In an interview with Kan TV in which he related to Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s speech at the UN General Assembly, in which Lapid expressed his support for a two-state solution, Gantz said that “this was a good and important speech. We agree on everything regarding Israel’s position in the Middle East and on the problem of Iran.

With regard to the Palestinians, we believe we should reach an accord, but one has to confront reality with clear eyes, and to my understanding there is no way of reaching an agreement in the foreseeable future.” He also clarified that he opposes the idea of one binational state. “We are for two separate entities, but not in a way that endangers Israel.”

Gantz did not dismiss the possibility of forming a government led by him, with Likud but without Netanyahu. Such a government would be broad, he said, and not rely on the extremes.”

However, he rejected the possibility of a coalition with Balad or Hadash-Ta’al. “Balad for me is anti-Israeli. The [now defunct] Joint List has an agenda I can’t live with,” he said. Referring to United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas, he said that the latter had done some good things, and that he’d be happy to collaborate with him.

In an interview with TV Channel 12, Gantz said that he would not sit in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu under any scenario. Gantz said that “Netanyahu has grievously damaged the state-oriented approach in Israel, which is why there is no possibility that I, with a state-oriented view, could sit with him. It’s over, it won’t happen.”