Waiting for Benny: 7 things to know for January 29

1. Dominating Hebrew-language newspapers on Tuesday was the highly anticipated campaign speech by former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz later this evening timed to coincide with the prime-time evening news.

• The Israel Resilience party leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest threat in the April elections, has remained largely mum on his political positions, fueling near-constant speculation in the media about where the former military chief will align himself politically.
• Gantz’s first-ever speech is scheduled for 8 p.m., and Israel’s main TV news programs are expected to broadcast at least part of his remarks live, a practice often used by Netanyahu.

2. An unauthorized leaked copy of Gantz’s speech leaked to the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, which reported the anticipated contents. According to Yedioth, Gantz is likely to announce his candidacy for prime minister, and level harsh criticism against Netanyahu and his wife Sara over the series of corruption investigations against them.

• Yedioth’s Yuval Carmi says that Gantz is expected focus his remarks on the “bad and corrupt government that is dividing the people.” He says Gantz will also call for term limits in Israel, noting Netanyahu’s nearly 10 years as prime minister and saying that “a long time in power breeds corruption. “
• Yedioth, Israel’s biggest selling daily, gives Gantz’s speech the most extensive coverage, including three op-eds on the launch of the political campaign seen as the biggest threat to Netanyahu. Columnist Ariella Ringel Hoffman writes a long list of advice for Gantz, including telling him to “speak clearly,” “capitalize on your advantages” and “try to act like you’re Steve Jobs presenting a new version of the iPhone, that’s what your public is expecting.”

3. Haaretz reports that Gantz’s team had sought to cement a partnership agreement with former defense minister and Telem party leader Moshe Ya’alon before Tuesday evening’s speech, but the two parties are still negotiating the alliance. According to the daily, sticking points include Gantz’s interest in partnerships with Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid or independent lawmaker Orly Levy-Abekasis.

• According to various media reports in the Hebrew-language press, three people have been given high slots on the party’s slate of candidates so far: Chili Tropper, an educator; former mayor of Yeruham Michael Biton, and Alon Schuster, the former head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.

4. The Israel Hayom daily also leads its Tuesday paper with Gantz’s impending speech, but dedicates much less coverage to the prime minister’s biggest challenger. Though the pro-Netanyahu daily offers less reporting on Gantz’s increasingly popular campaign, a lengthy column by Mati Tuchfeld predicts the ex-IDF chief will lose steam after he delivers his first-ever speech.

• “The silence created expectations, a longing and nostalgia for something different and the number of projected seats increased,” Tuchfeld writes. “This degree of expectation will match the degree of disappointment. Gantz will open his mouth for the first time and crack the illusion.”

5. Also dominating headlines on Tuesday is an announcement by Intel saying it is expanding its operations in Israel to a reported $10 billion in the next 15 years.

• According to Yedioth, the investment by the US computer chip maker will amount to $9.7 billion by 2034, and the Israeli government will give Intel NIS 3 billion, accounting for 9.1% of the company’s overall investments.
• Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon tell Yedioth the unprecedentedly large investment would create thousands of jobs in southern Israel. “[The investment] points to the great confidence the company — one of the largest and most important in the world — has in the Israeli economy.”

6. Netanyahu on Monday ended the mandate of an international observer force in the West Bank city of Hebron after over 20 years. In a statement, his office said it would not extend the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron, saying claiming the observers were “acting against us.”

• Israel Hayom columnist Ariel Kahane defends Netanyahu’s decision to dump TIPH, and denied the move was solely linked to the upcoming elections. Kahane argues that Netanyahu’s announcement stemmed from his “deep emotional commitment to the Jewish residents of Hebron… and not just the elections that guided him to making the right decision.”

7. Haaretz is raising the flag about a peace agreement between the US and the Taliban giving Iran leverage to expand its influence in the region. The warning by communist Zvi Barel comes a day after the US envoy tasked with resolving the war, Zalmay Khalilzad, said there have been “agreements in principle” reached in talks with the Taliban.