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Dispute in Jerusalem: Benny Gantz meets US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday. Netanyahu is trying to torpedo the trip. Harris wants to talk about a ceasefire.
Washington, DC – Israeli and international media interpreted the trip of War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz to the Israeli leadership as a rift in the Israeli leadership United States. On Monday (March 4th) he will, according to the news agency Reuters expected in Washington. During the two-day visit, Gantz should, among other things, US Vice President Kamala Harris meet. The liberal-conservative Benny Gantz, former chief of the general staff, is considered the most promising competitor to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Israeli media, he is said to have instructed the embassy in Washington to refuse any support to Gantz.
“Tough conversation” between Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Netanyahu
The left-liberal Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz quoted a source close to Netanyahu at the weekend: The head of government had “made it clear” that he would “not approve” Gantz’s trip. Both politicians had a “tough conversation” in which Netanyahu “made it clear” that Israel “only has one prime minister,” it quoted Washington Post a source. A source close to Gantz remarked conciliatorily to the Haaretzthat there would be an exchange about the status of the talks in the USA. The US news agency Associated Press (AP) reported that Harris wanted to speak with Gantz about the possibilities for a “at least six-week” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Kamala Harris and Benny Gantz will discuss ceasefire and aid for Gaza
According to Harris, only a ceasefire could “bring the hostages out and humanitarian aid in” to the coastal area. In addition, in the run-up to the meeting, she called on Israel to open further border crossings for humanitarian aid. From Gantz's environment it was said to the AP quite generally, he wanted to talk about increasing US aid to Israel and support in the release of the hostages. US President Joe Biden showed up according to the US broadcaster CNN recently behind closed doors “increasingly frustrated” with Netanyahu’s conduct of the war and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Recently, Biden even had aid supplies dropped over Gaza by parachute. Young, left-wing voters in particular sharply criticized Biden's Israel policy. Haaretz commented that Gantz would now offer Biden and the Democratic Party an opportunity for “course correction” and an “adult conversation.” Gantz is also scheduled to speak to lawmakers from both parties and Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden's top security adviser.
The ex-general and his party and cabinet colleague Gadi Eisenkot had previously repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in conjunction with the release of the hostages Hamas pronounced. “We should not miss any opportunity to bring our boys and girls home,” said Gantz. End of February, loudly Reuters. According to a recent survey by the conservative daily newspaper Ma’ariv Gantz's “Resistance for Israel” party would win 42 of 120 seats in the Knesset in new elections. A clear majority against Netanyahu had been apparent since the beginning of the war; only 15 percent of Israelis considered him “fit” to hold office in November.
Gantz is considered more moderate than Netanyahu – but no peace agreement in the “foreseeable future”.
Gantz and Eisenkot joined the war cabinet after the Hamas massacres on October 7 to unify the country and keep Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners out of the war. In recent election campaigns, Gantz has taken a line in dealing with the Palestinians that is somewhat more moderate than Netanyahu's. Unlike Netanyahu, he is not deadlocked on the question of a Palestinian state. During his short time as defense minister, he had the military put a stop to the worst excesses of violence by right-wing extremist settlers. Nevertheless, he told the public broadcaster in 2022 Kan, that there will be no peace agreement in the “foreseeable future”. But that was before October 7th.
That's also why he was chosen by HaaretzCommentators have also criticized Netanyahu as a “fig leaf” during the ongoing Gaza war. While Gantz travels to the United States, Israel's military leads in Gaza a war, which has already killed thousands of civilians and Netanyahu once again refused to send an Israeli delegation to Cairo at the weekend to negotiate a ceasefire. The negotiations were once again in jeopardy on Monday afternoon. (kb)
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