Gantz concession speech: Netanyahu is leading Israel down a dangerous path

“Most of the nation chose to weaken extremists and most of the nation chose to go a different way than Netanyahu."

By LAHAV HARKOV
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
Israel needs leadership motivated by the good of the nation and not someone’s personal interest, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said in his concession speech after he failed to build a government.
The speech came shortly after Gantz informed President Reuven Rivlin that he was unsuccessful in forming a government in the 28 days he was given after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed.
“Israel needs leadership with vision,” Gantz said, expressing hope that he will be the one to form a government at the end of the Knesset’s 21 days to find a candidate.
Gantz accused Netanyahu of “leading [Israel] down a dangerous path that will have a high, historic price, and you are responsible for it.”
The Blue and White leader said that he “overturned every stone” in his efforts to form a national unity government based on “respect, morals and values,” but the Netanyahu-led 55-seat Right-religious bloc stood as an obstacle in his way.
“There was a bloc in the way that cared about the good of one person,” he said, referring to Netanyahu. “It was trying to prevent Israel from having a government led by those who won and want political sanity and stability.”
Gantz accused the bloc of behaving undemocratically, “to prevent the citizens of Israel for more than a year from having a government led by the party that won a clear majority. No one has the right to deny the nation its choice. No one has the right to say ‘my personal interest comes before theirs.’
“Most of the nation chose to weaken extremists and most of the nation chose to go a different way than Netanyahu. I won’t be a partner to forcing an extremist agenda on most of the nation that chose otherwise,” he added.
Gantz also said that Netanyahu’s rhetoric “has caused great tragedies in the past,” an apparent reference to the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, which some on the Left blame on Netanyahu for being an outspoken opponent of the Oslo Accords.
“There’s a limit to the hate,” he said.
Gantz targeted people other than Netanyahu, as well, laying blame on some of his party’s MKs.
“I’m not prime minister because of Yoaz [Hendel] and Zvika [Hauser], and because of [Yair] Lapid, there’s no chance for unity,” he said in a private conversation, according to Channel 12.
Hendel and Hauser are MKs in the right-wing Telem party in the Blue and White bloc who vocally opposed a minority government supported by the anti-Zionist Joint List. However, there were some in Gantz’s Israel Resilience Party who spoke out against it, as well, such as MK Chili Tropper, a close Gantz ally.
The blame on Gantz’s co-chairman Lapid was a reference to Lapid’s total distrust of Netanyahu and resulting refusal to have Blue and White be second in a rotation agreement for the premiership.