Gantz defends meetings with Abbas: We need to keep a diplomatic horizon possible

Defense Minister Benny Gantz defends having held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as his government survives a no-confidence motion over the meetings.

Gantz says at the Knesset that the years of frozen contacts between Jerusalem and Ramallah “strengthened Hamas, harmed Israeli security and failed from the perspective of results.”

He also swipes at opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who was reported to have held secret talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

“Unlike those who have talks under the table, I chose to have them openly in Ramallah and Rosh Ha’ayin — to coordinate, to work together, to strengthen the economy and also to ask for concessions,” Gantz says of his meetings, which were held under media blackout and only announced after the fact.

While he admits that there is no peace talks push underway, he adds that “we have to keep in contact to allow for a diplomatic horizon.”