The Defense Minister's Office stated that following an unusual intervention by the Prime Minister with IDF officials on an issue under the exclusive authority of the Defense Minister, Gantz instructed the defense establishment and the Civil Administration to conduct themselves exclusively through the usual channels.
This morning, with the start of a meeting of the Civil Administration discussing the approval of Palestinian Authority construction in Area C, officials from the Prime Minister's Office contacted the representatives of the Civil Administration and asked to stop the discussion in progress. The military officials followed the usual procedure and updated the Defense Minister's office, which instructed them to continue with the meeting.
According to Defense Minister Gantz: "I will not allow a bypass of powers by the Prime Minister's Office. The committee's activities are under the authority of the Minister of Defense. There are work procedures, the convening of the meeting was decided last week and there is no need to disrupt the proper process during its implementation. If the Prime Minister wants to raise objections - he knows my number."