Opposition National Unity party leader Benny Gantz blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to shift some authorities in the West Bank from Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, who is also a minister in the Defense Ministry.
“The responsibility for dismantling the IDF and Defense Ministry is on Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Gantz, a former defense minister and military chief, writes on Twitter. “This is a decision that will rip apart the chain of command, harm the security of Israeli citizens and our international standing.”
He also charges that since Israel’s founding, “Netanyahu is the first prime minister… who put politics over security.”
“May every Hebrew mother know that the fate of her son and our security has been forfeited to irresponsible politicians,” Gantz adds.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 23, 2023
