The Minister in the Israeli War Cabinet, Benny Gantz, called today, Wednesday, for normalization with Saudi Arabia and the building of a broad alliance with countries in the region as part of a regional settlement that guarantees the end of the Hamas movement’s authority in Gaza and contributes to achieving the goals of the Israeli war on the Strip, stressing the necessity of “not harming Israeli strategic relations with the United States.”

This came in a press conference held by Gantz, during which he called for agreeing on a date for holding general elections “so as not to harm the war effort.” He suggested that they be held next September, in light of the escalation of protests against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, and the increasing levels of violence accompanying the demonstrations  which prompted the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, to warn of “dangerous situations.”

Gantz said: “We have an opportunity to achieve strategic change against Hamas and everyone who seeks to harm us, led by Iran. And whoever wants to ignite a regional war against us must find himself facing a regional alliance - the Abrahamic Alliance. A normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, which will include political action through the formation of an administration from Arab countries for the Gaza Strip has the matter at hand.”

He continued, "An agreement like this will be a central part of the efforts to replace the Hamas authority. I will work and support the promotion of this issue personally in the coming weeks," and considered that Israel "faces enormous challenges in all fields," stressing the necessity of "unity" in the face of "all difficulties."

He said, "Do not put your differences aside, be sure to manage them in a way that will allow us to continue fighting together," stressing that "what is happening in the corridors of the government, on social media, in the streets, is dangerous and must be stopped." He said, "In times of war, it is prohibited to enact a law on evasion (of military service)."

He said, "It was right to respond to the request of the hostage families and cancel the Knesset holiday," while calling for dealing with these families with "sensitivity." He said, "It is forbidden to make comparisons between the demonstrators and our enemies. Our enemies must be destroyed, and our brothers must be listened to. Strategic relations must not be harmed with the United States.

He continued, "It is forbidden to act violently and not obey the instructions of the police, who must also act with the utmost responsibility and restraint in the face of great public pain. We must remember what our enemies did to us on October 7. We must not return to the division that prevailed." On October 6.”

He added that he is "ashamed" because the government "has not been able to return the hostages to their homes yet; I am ashamed when I see the attitude of some officials and elected officials towards the families of the hostages; the prime minister must issue clear statements on this matter, strengthen the families of the hostages, and ensure that all members of the coalition treat them in a proper manner." 

He said, "When we fight such a complex and long war, we must look at the broad picture. We have many challenges in general, and these days in particular. In addition to the urgent need to return the hostages, the most important security need is to change the reality in the north of the country."

He continued, "We will fight with Hamas for many years. We cannot afford to leave the people of the north far from their homes. The Israeli army is doing an excellent job, and is causing serious damage to Hezbollah. We must complete the mission. Our goal must be to return the people of the north to their homes safely this summer." We must devote all resources - military and political - to this purpose."