Former Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, spoke at his faction's meeting earlier in the day (Monday) and attacked the conduct of the Netanyahu government.
"Yesterday, ministers entered the government offices and you can already see where this is taking us - the main extremist in the government is trying to enflame the situation on the Temple Mount while another extremist is trying to repeal the Disengagement Law," he claimed, referring to Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
According to Gantz, "Instead of dealing with the cost of living and working to lower electricity prices, the Ministry of Finance is trying to do away with the tax on disposable utensils while harming the environment, while the Ministry of Transportation is changing the colors of advertising signs."
"Netanyahu is telling the English-speaking world one thing - calming the Emirates [that an annexation of Judea and Samaria is off the table], while planning an attack on the deepest foundations of our democracy - on gays, Arabs, and everyone in between. His real plan is to skirt justice. I call on the entire legal system - from the judges in the High Court to the attorneys managing the various cases and the ombudsmen in the offices: Just like our doctors will continue to treat everyone regardless of religion, gender, and race according to the ethos of the Hippocratic Oath, you too continue to pass judgment and act according to the law. You're not only the gatekeepers - you stand on the threshold of democracy itself. If this threshold is crossed - we will not be a country in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence. We will not be a country built on the foundations of 'the pursuit of justice'. If it's crossed, our democracy will cease to exist - as will Judaism as I understand it to be."
Gantz added an interesting statement about the fight against the government. "Since the elections, it seems as if some have adopted the slogan of a comedian I like very much, Lior Shlain - 'Don't ask what the state can do to you - ask how you can get it back'. This is not the way to overthrow the government."
"The public that loves the state should not aim to hurt it - it should try to save it," he continued. "My allies and I intend to take part in any opposition parliamentary initiative that will lead to the overthrow of this dangerous government. I personally plan to plow the field and present what is needed most of all - an alternative. The National Unity Camp with me at its head will do everything necessary to fight this government - not the democratic institutions on which they rest."
Stately behavior, even if aggressive, is the basis for the ability to deliver substantial criticism that will be received by a wide audience. It does not entail giving a nod to Netanyahu's policies. It is a means of defeating them."
"I don't want to win the fratricidal war that Netanyahu is trying to ignite but rather prevent it. I don't want to give power to the extremists - I want to present an alternative. I suggest the opposition stands on guard of the state and citizens of Israel, but trying to "do it back to them" does not only lack value - it is simply ineffective," he said.
"I don't want to win the fratricidal war that Netanyahu is trying to ignite - I want to prevent it. I don't want to give power to the extremists - I want to present an alternative," concluded Gantz.
