‘If elections are forced on us, we’ll go with our heads held high’

‘If elections are forced on us, we’ll go with our heads held high’

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz on Friday wrote a post on Facebook in which he accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of aiming to take Israel to its fourth election in just over a year.

The post came as talks between Blue and White and the Likud on a unity government continue to stall.

“Anyone who wants a fourth election – should just say so. Anyone who wants to drag Israel into a frenzy just to get a few more seats – should just say so,” wrote Gantz.

“Anyone who wants to spend billions of shekels instead of passing them on to the health care system, the self-employed, those who have been laid-off and those who are left destitute because of the coronavirus crisis – should just say so. Like every weekend, a few words from me to you. It is important for me that you read this until the end.”

“Since the election, a double game has been played by various parties in the political system. In the end, you have to ask yourself the question I ask myself every day – what is right for the State of Israel these days. For me, the answer is clear.”

“Anyone who cares about Israel does not drag an entire country into an election campaign during an unprecedented crisis with medical, economic and social implications that will accompany us for a long time. I did not come to politics to sit in the stands, but rather to navigate. I came to ensure a better future for our children.”

“In order to do this, especially in such a difficult time, one must strive for contact and try and form a government – while maintaining iron principles that we will never compromise on, most notably democracy and the rule of law. I’m willing to risk my political image to try, no matter what they say. I’m not scared off by babbling. The public is smart and the public understands exactly who is working for him and the state.”

“I would like to stress. In addition to all the tools we need to maintain the rule of law, we also need real tools to be a key part in coping with the coronavirus crisis and its consequences: A coronavirus cabinet co-led by me and the Prime Minister will coordinate all the measures, contrary to what is happening now between the various bodies.”

“We will receive the ministries with the most influence on the economic and social confrontation of the coronavirus – including the Ministries of Economy, Welfare and of course the Defense Ministry. We will have an equal place in the socio-economic cabinet for the Likud bloc. We will establish a national reconciliation cabinet that will sow the rips in the divided Israeli society during this time when we are all dealing with the coronavirus crisis. Our strength is in our unity. And that’s just a small part.”

“Even today I do not know to tell you whether we will succeed in establishing the government or not. I can, however, tell you that my partners and I are doing everything necessary and everything possible while adhering to our principles so that the country emerges from one of the biggest crises it has experienced since its inception.”

“If, God forbid, we are forced to go to elections, we will go to elections with our heads held high because everyone in the country knows that my friends and I did everything, and I mean everything, for the State of Israel during a crisis. I hope and believe that the citizens of Israel will be able to appreciate my intentions. I come with clean hands and put Israel first. Shabbat Shalom to all.”

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)