T. Belman. It will come as a surprise to some that the entire responsibility for J&S rests with the Min of Defense. Thus he decides what to do with illegal Arab construction in Area C and Jewish settlement building subject to any constraints that have been place upon him in the Coalition Agreement.
This is one more assault on Bennett’s red lines.
Gush Etzion Regional Council chief Shlomo Ne’eman claims Defense Minister has already begun freezing Jewish construction in Judea & Samaria.
Arutz Sheva Staff , Jun 02 , 2021 11:44 AM
A senior settlement leader has accused Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz of cutting a deal with the Biden administration to block Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne’eman said Gantz had already begun to impose the de facto building freeze in Judea and Samaria.
“Benny Gantz has made a deal with the Biden administration to freeze construction in Judea and Samaria and is already implementing the move in practice,” said Ne’eman.
“This move crosses one of the strongest red lines amongst the national camp.”
For the past five months the Council of Higher Planning has not met to discuss construction plans in Judea and Samaria. It is Defense Minister Benny Gantz who is preventing the committee from meeting.
“Over the past several weeks the authorities in Judea and Samaria along with the Yesha Council made a humble appeal to Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Gantz to hold a “small” committee meeting, not for major planning but in order to deal with small changes to existing master plans. However our request was completely rejected by Benny Gantz.”
“The same Benny Gantz who frequently accuses Netanyahu of deceitful politics is pursuing an independent policy without the prime minister’s knowledge. It turns out that Gantz agreed to a construction freeze with the Biden Administration, even though the new government hasn’t even been formed.”
Ne’eman urged Yamina chief Naftali Bennett and New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar not to form a unity government, which Ne’eman argued would empower Gantz to pursue the settlement freeze.
“Naftali Bennett and Gideon Sa’ar, did you think you would run the country? You promised to adhere to ideological red lines of the national camp in the government that is currently being formed. Just know that your defense minister thinks differently and is acting differently. Benny Gantz claims – behind closed doors that he, and only he will be at the head of the political echelons when it comes to what happens in Judea and Samaria. Gantz has already made a deal with the administration in Washington behind the back of the prime minister to implement an Obama-style freeze, which at the time was unprecedented.”
“Neither Bennett nor anyone else will be the liaison with the Americans on construction in Judea and Samaria, only I will decide on policy there.”
“These are his words, and this is how Gantz has been acting for the last several months. To the parties on the right and to the New Hope Party you should know that this move crosses one of the strongest red lines amongst the national camp. You are forming a government that is slated to abuse the Judea and Samaria enterprise, including half a million Israelis living there! You were wrong! But it’s not too late to fix it. Stand at the head of your camp, the national camp. Stand by your principles for the next four and a half years. It is completely in your hands, if you still believe in those principles of course.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Blue and White party signed a coalition deal with Yesh Atid.
Under the agreement, Benny Gantz will retain the Defense Ministry in the new government.
Yes, Reader this point was not wasted on me as well, but his statement of having full authority should be accepted as a statement towards either of them. Also his statement as you point out could be interpreted that he is looking to take the glory for having stood up to the Americans on behalf of J&S, but I am dubious of this.
He is off to Washington and we will soon come to see what mischief comes from it. I don’t trust Gantz, myself. I heard that he was approached in some conference in 2017-8 by a Soros surrogate, but I have never found any support of it. Sill, though Bear assures me he is of the Right, I have strong concerns about him and Lieberman both. But we are where we are.
Actually, Gantz’s statement that he will be the only one in charge of the settlement construction decisions and negotiations does not directly contradict the promises made by Bennett and Sa’ar.
He didn’t say that he is going to be freezing the construction, it’s just that the settlers feel there is a good chance of him doing so “under the unbearable pressure from Biden administration”, etc.
@ peloni1986:
Please recall that THE GOVERNMENT IS STILL NETANYAHU’S GOVERNMENT.
Netanyahu is STILL the Prime Minister and Gantz is HIS DEFENSE MINISTER WHO IS IN CHARGE OF JUDEA AND SAMARIA.
Gantz is now negotiating with the Americans as a member of Netanyahu’s government.
Apparently, he insists on continuing this government’s policy NO MATTER WHAT as long as he remains Defense Minister.
Gantz contradicts the promises made by Bennett and Sa’ar.
Maybe Bennett and Sa’ar think that once the new government begins to function they will be able to change Gantz’s policy or to replace him as Defense Minister, or they are not planning to change the policy regarding the settlements and are planning to act helpless before Gantz, or they were simply not aware of his plans to be the sole power over the settlemetns – there is no way to tell.
@ Reader:
This was in the same article
Gantz did say it would be his decision, but specifically referenced the Americans. No mystery what that means.
Sounds like the honeymoon might be over sooner rather than later as the contest of who will blink first begins. And this is just one many topics in that game.
Bennett and Sa’ar DID promise that there will not be a settlement freeze,
HOWEVER [emphasis mine] :
https://www.timesofisrael.com/settler-leader-bennett-and-saar-promised-there-would-be-no-settlement-freeze/
You lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. This would not be the first treasonous act by Gantz.
@ Bear Klein:
Good! I felt he needed to speak to this, if the story was not true. Glad that it is not. Thanks for the update
Bennett says there is NO freeze and will be NO freeze!
@ Reader:
Well stated, Reader. It is despicable that any society would prevent a nation from providing appropriate housing. It is a burden of many forms upon the public. This policy of ignoring the standard of living while a population grows among forced constraint of housing is intentionally harsh to the public. And for how many years has this been proceeding, now.
And where else in all the world is such a policy enforced? Nowhere. And if it were utilized as a form of population density control, which is the intent, in any other nation, it would not be tolerated, or if it was tolerated , it would be labeled a human rights crisis. But not in Israel. In Israel it is a Peace offering to our murderers. This is disgusting.
@ deanblake:
If Israel builds homes, there will be decent places for the Jews to live when they make aliyah instead of them having to live in tents or special centers.
If Israel builds homes in Judea and Samaria, the Jews will have places to live in order to settle their Biblical Land, and there will be less of it left for the Arabs to settle illegally.
If Israel builds homes, the Jewish population may start spreading out from the overpopulated Center to the Periphery and the North which might interfere with the Arabs.
If Israel builds homes, the real estate in Israel may become cheaper (which has been long overdue) and more affordable – why would anybody want that! [sarcasm]
Here is more about the author:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gershon_Baskin
UNREAL.
I hope the assertion here is false. USA is ending a CDC moratorium on rent and 7-40 million households may be thrown out on to the street and Biden is telling Israel to not build homes!?!? We’ve got 140,000 houseless people on the streets of Los Angeles now everywhere. Housing shortage, rents are very high and equity firms are gobbling up private homes, not building. Disgusting Biden policies do nothing here or there.
@ jul:
You are right, Israel is not a normal country.
Here is an article by “a political and social entrepreneur” who would LOVE to create the “Palestinian” state and do everything for the Arabs and he blames Netanyahu for for being anti-Arab[?!].
Here is the one comment under the article:
I GIVE UP!
@ greenrobot:
It would be a happy thought but Gantz is with the the new coalition. Every member of the coalition will stand to suffer should the coalition fail – especially Yamina and Saar’s party. It would take overcoming a high bar for such failure to occur, I think. But my hopes are aligned with yours.
I hope this blows up the government and leads to 5th elections.
The latest [emphasis mine]:
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/542659
Very intriguing (I hope it is not about completing the two-state Final solution agreement).
@ jul:
I understand your explanation that, technically, Judea and Samaria is not Israel.
However, Judea and Samaria and the Jewish settlement are crucial to the very existence of Israel and any “deals” may represent a tremendous national security problem.
Another thing:
Since the US administration is on the other side of the deal vs. the Defense Minister of Israel, doesn’t this mean that it is the US which is really in charge of what is happening in Judea and Samaria?
Actually, I remember reading somewhere recently that the IDF is subject to the US Central Command – believe it or not!
@ Edgar G.:
My question is even more general:
How can a minister of ANY government, regardless of the duties assigned to him or her to perform locally, have the authority to make secret (or any) deals with heads of other governments about ANYTHING concerning the minister’s country?
Especially if that minister is a top military man who knows all about what subordination means.
Unless, of course, he is acting as a negotiator empowered and authorized by the head of his own government.
So, maybe in this case we are “paying no attention to that man behind the curtain”?
@ ReaderH
I agree with you completely on this. How can the Defence Mnster have authority in building anywhere-except maybe in Defence Camps. The housing Ministry shoud have this authority. There has been a subdued (unfortunately), dispute about this for many years.
But in Israel…if you’re Meir Kahane, they act like lightning., f you are a Pioneer and a YESHA inhabitant they act only slowly, not at all, or n a recerse directon.
@ Reader:
Sorry, your mistake is that you think of Israel as of normal country, but it is not. J&S formally is not considering a part of Israel but under military rule and control that stay from the time of Turkish Empire and British Mandate. That is why Defense Minister playing this role. And that is why Jewish people currently fighting for judicial decision for sovereignty over Zone C of J&S.
Yonatan
How can a defense minister of a country have the sole power to secretly negotiate and approve the crucial matters of national security with the head of the government of a foreign country?!
Who is Gantz subordinate to – his Prime Minister or President Biden?
Gantz is a military man – he should know.
This reads like a crime novel, it makes no sense.
In any country it would be considered at least bordering on treason.
Does it mean that every minister in Israel has the right to do this?
Then what’s the point of having the Knesset, the committees, etc.?