Gantz supports economic deal, clarifies: Gaza Strip must be demilitarized

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz wrote on his Facebook page that he is “in favor of promotion and economic development for the Palestinians in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.”

By TAMAR URIEL-BEERI
Benny Gantz (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
Benny Gantz
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
Israeli politicians from all across the political spectrum reacted on Saturday night to the Trump administration’s unveiling of the economic portion of its Mideast peace plan.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz wrote on his Facebook page that he is “in favor of promotion and economic development for the Palestinians in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.”
However, Gantz clarified that “any such initiative... must be part of the effort to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, return prisoners and missing persons, and prevent terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria, and work together with the world to establish the understanding that security calm will also lead to prosperity and prosperity in the entire region.”
Blue and White second-in-command Yair Lapid pointed out that the plan is an effective attempt to “make the Palestinian public understand that if they say no, each of them will lose a lot of money and opportunities,” according to a post uploaded to his Facebook page.
He further claimed that the plan attempts to turn the Palestinian people against their government. The plan, according to Lapid, says the US government “does not commit itself to investing money in the program,” but rather tries to convince Arab countries to invest, instead.
Lapid pointed out that the plan requires the Israeli government to make a few concessions as well, such as “reducing regulatory barriers to Palestinian civilians and goods.”
“We must make it clear in advance that this is only on condition that the IDF’s freedom of military action throughout the West Bank is not harmed,” Lapid stated.
“It is a very serious document and there is no reason to oppose it,” Lapid concluded.
Likud MK Miki Zohar wrote on Twitter that the release of the economic deal “brings Israel truly good news and mostly hope for the Palestinians.”
He emphasized, “It is important to clarify: Netanyahu is the only one who knows how to advance such a process with the Americans while safeguarding the security interests of Israeli citizens.”
Blue and White MK Ofer Shelah said, “The economic document of the ‘Deal of the Century’ put things on the table that we all want but will not happen without the truly important things: Regional negotiations on core issues, and courageous and determined leadership on both sides – none of which exists today.”
MK Ahmad Tibi said the plan is simply an “attempt to divert attention from the ideas of annexation and preservation of occupation,” stressing that “it is impossible to buy the Palestinian people with all of these millions [of dollars].”
Hadash-Ta’al leader Ayman Odeh said, “Someone needs to explain to Trump that you cannot buy everything with money – certainly not the justified national aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
He insisted that the only solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the “end of the occupation” and “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.”
MK Aida Touma-Sliman from Hadash-Ta'al tweeted that the attendance sheet of the Bahrain summit "attests to its intentions and its chances of success."
"The Palestinians themselves are not there, China and Russia are not there, and the EU is not invested in the process," she said. "This conference has no international backing. Only the US and the Arab oil regimes are there."