Benny Gantz speaks at the annual Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany February 17, 2019. (photo credit: ANDREAS GEBERT/REUTERS)
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The views and actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival in the April 9 election, former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, are the same, Gantz said in a speech on Sunday at the Munich Security Conference.
Gantz did not speak in the main hall, where Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke minutes before. He spoke in a side room, to mostly Israeli reporters, in what was his first address in English and abroad since entering politics two months ago.
“Netanyahu and I are rivals politically but there is no daylight when Israeli security is under threat,” Gantz said. “On these issues, there is no Right or Left, coalition or opposition. I stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the fight against Iran’s aggression. I’m sure he’ll do the same for me when I’m prime minister.”
Gantz promised that as prime minister, he would not let Iran take over Syria or obtain nuclear weapons. Reacting to Zarif’s speech, he asked participants not be fooled by the foreign minister, saying that as chief of staff of the IDF, he saw Iran’s evil doings.
“Iran threatens Europe, not just Israel,” he said, warning that “the Jewish people and Jewish state will always protect ourselves by ourselves.”
Gantz called on Europe to designate Hezbollah as a terror organization. He said inaction on that call was unacceptable.
“Hezbollah is the most dangerous terror organization in the world and has more firepower than most NATO countries,” he said
Gantz vowed that if elected there would be a regional cooperation initiative in the Middle East.
“Only a strong and security Israel can achieve a lasting peace,” he said. “In many ways, Arabs and Israelis are closer than ever before and Arab countries are starting to realize that Israel is part of the solution, not the problem.”
Netanyahu reacted to the speech ahead of time calling Gantz “a hitch-hiker, riding on the wave I led against Iran.” He called Gantz “an unprofessional copycat.”
Shas criticized Gantz for flying to the speech on Shabbat. The party said it was disrespectful to Shabbat observers that Gantz did not respect the day of rest.
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