Gantz: ‘Anyone who talks about a Palestinian state is disconnected from the security reality’

National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz speaks out against a Palestinian state during a “settlements conference” in the West Bank settlement of Ofra, asserting that it would be a security threat to Israel.

He also argues that Israel needs to maintain “freedom of action” in southern Lebanon and the border region with Syria, as well as Gaza.

“The State of Israel cannot allow a direct and substantive threat to its citizens on all its borders. Therefore, [it] needs security control and to preserve freedom of action in Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, and in the border region with Syria,” says Gantz.

“The implication is clear, and anyone who talks about a Palestinian state or withdrawals is simply disconnected from the security reality,” he adds.

Gantz says he is in favor of full Israeli security control in Gaza, but opposes rebuilding settlements in the territory, saying it would be a “security error” and would also divide the nation “at a time when it needs unity.”

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv hits back at Gantz, saying, “After October 7, the idea that it is possible to ignore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and not offer any diplomatic path is even more disconnected from reality.”

Kariv adds that there is “a need to present an alternative of renewing the diplomatic dialogue between Jerusalem and Ramallah within the framework of a regional pact and under an international umbrella.”