Gantz and Netanyahu: archive
Gantz and Netanyahu: archiveAriel Hermoni/Ministry of Defense

A security debate between Binyamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz was revealed by News 12 Thursday night.

The confrontation between the two occurred when Gantz was IDF chief of staff, shortly before Israel carried out a sensitive and secret security operation with strategic implications, The nature of the operation is still secret, but the confrontation around it was allowed to be published within the guidelines of the military censor.

According to journalist Yaron Avraham, Gantz demanded that Cabinet approve the operation and Netanyahu rejected the request, citing the urgency of the operation. The head of the Mossad supported the action and claimed that the window of opportunity was short.

Gantz claimed that the Cabinet had to discuss the operation. At this point, the prime minister's military secretary, Yohanan Locker replied: "The issue is being examined, there is no need for a meeting in the cabinet." The secretary added that "the issue was approved by the trio (Barak, Liberman and Netanyahu) and therefore the prime minister decided to carry it out immediately."

Gantz did not accept the response of the military secretary and said he would appeal to the attorney general: "I do not accept the prime minister's statement," Gantz said. "I will wait until the cabinet approves it tomorrow."

Secretary Locker once again explained: "The urgency is because this is a strategic threat. Our grasp of the target is likely to disappear if we do not act immediately."

The secret operation eventually came to fruition according to the directives of the political echelon.

Ganz said in response to the report: "I have done much more than one action in the arenas and distant places. These operations were carried out in a determined and professional manner, while expanding the implementation envelopes in the air and on land. Although I have a great deal to say about the level of decision-making processes and just as I did not relate to specific events within the decision-making and cabinet levels in the past, I will not do so now. It is to be hoped that the military echelon continues to relate professionally and without fear of other opinions or leaks and unnecessary briefings."