Former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz denied rumors that his wife is a member of the radical left-wing Machsom Watch group and admitted that he is considering joining a political party.
Speaking at a live chat sponsored by 'Pnimah'. an organization dedicated to healing rifts within Israeli society, Gantz dismissed a recent Facebook post by the far-right rapper 'The Shadow' accusing Gantz's wife of joining Machsom Watch, which harasses IDF soldiers at checkpoints.
"I do not know The Shadow personally but I would sit down for coffee with The Shadow and talk to him about what he wrote about my wife," said Gantz. "My wife did not go to any demonstration which would hurt IDF soldiers. This is fake news."
Gantz also said that he is unsure whether to run for the Knesset. "I do not know whether I'm joining politics and I do not know when I'm joining," Gantz said. "I had a peak in life called the chief of staff. If I want to go into politics, it's not because I want a suit, an office or a car, but it's definitely because I care. Time will tell."
Gantz's legally mandated three-year' cooling off' period is over in February and the former IDF chief has been publicly weighing whether to join politics. By law, senior security establishment members must wait three years from the day they retire before they are permitted to participate in any kind of formal political activity.
Last week Gantz told a conference of municipal corporations that while "such a move not relevant at this moment, but Israeli society is one to which I willingly committed my life, and to which I would certainly commit my activity."
"There’s no question here of [Avi] Gabbay, Lapid [Yesh Atid chairman], or Likud or Yisrael Beytenu, or Jewish Home or Meretz, okay? Everyone talks with everyone else, it’s natural."