Palestinian leaders confirmed yesterday, Saturday, that Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree regarding the continuation of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, and that there is no difference between them in terms of essence.
This came in comments on Gantz’s threats, in a press conference held on Saturday, to withdraw from the government if a clear and comprehensive plan is not formulated by next June 8, regarding the war on Gaza.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Wasel Abu Youssef, told Anadolu Agency that the content of Gantz’s speech (Saturday) is an attempt to draw attention to the existence of a dispute within the occupation government, but in terms of substance and content, they are united in moving towards escalating aggression and crimes against the Palestinian people.
Abu Youssef added that Gantz agrees with Netanyahu when talking about the day after the war and who rules Gaza. They agree that there is no Palestinian National Authority, and on ending resistance in the Gaza Strip, exchanging prisoners, and so on.
He added that Netanyahu and Gantz may talk differently about the form of the occupation presence in Gaza in the post-war period, but they agree to fight unified Palestinian representation within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization and reject the presence of the National Authority and the organization in the Strip.
In response to Gantz’s preference for an Arab or international force in the Gaza Strip the day after the war in Gaza, the Palestinian leader said that Gantz completely agreed with Netanyahu on this point in an attempt to separate the Gaza Strip and prevent any connection to the territories of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem in order to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state, and to undermine Palestinian representation within the framework of The Liberation Organization and its tool in the occupied territories, which is the National Authority.
Gantz and Netanyahu debate
Earlier Saturday, Gantz threatened in a press conference to leave the government unless a clear and comprehensive plan was developed by next June 8 to “win” the war, including undermining the rule of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
According to Gantz, the plan includes undermining Hamas’ rule, returning prisoners detained in Gaza, and establishing an Arab-American-Palestinian administration for the Gaza Strip, under Israeli security control.
The plan also includes – according to Gantz’s vision – ensuring the return of the residents of northern Israel on the Lebanese border to their homes by next September, promoting normalization with Arab countries, and adopting the Arab service plan.
Netanyahu had attacked Gantz in a statement issued by his office, saying that while our soldiers are fighting to destroy Hamas brigades in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Gantz is choosing to issue a final warning to the prime minister instead of issuing a final warning to Hamas.
For his part, Fatah movement spokesman Abdel Fattah Dawla said that Netanyahu and Gantz differ in politics and agree on the aggression against the Palestinian people and the restoration of security control over the entire sector.
He added that the “extremist” Israeli government poses a threat to the security and stability of the region and global security and peace, and that the world must prosecute them and “put an end to their crimes.”
Deep disagreements
In turn, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, Mustafa Barghouti, said that Gantz’s speech – and the six goals mentioned in it – indicate that he is no different from Netanyahu in his “racist extremism” nor in the unrealism of his goals.
Barghouti added that what Gantz said about the future of the Gaza Strip is completely rejected and indicates “arrogant racism.” Neither Israel, which is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, nor Gantz or any other party, has the right to decide how the Palestinian people manage the Gaza Strip, as it is a “right reserved” for the Palestinian people. Himself.
He added that Gantz’s speech indicates deepening Israeli internal disputes due to the failure of the aggression to achieve its goals.
Israel has continued its devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 114,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
This war continues despite the issuance of a resolution by the UN Security Council to stop the fighting immediately, and despite the International Court of Justice demanding that Israel take immediate measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.