Recordings of Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz from closed forums, which were published on Sunday evening on Channel 13 News, indicate that Gantz did not rule out being a minister in a government headed by Binyamin Netanyahu government after the Knesset elections.
"Let's say he (Netanyahu -ed.) wins the elections, a week later Trump puts forward a [peace] plan and the people of Israel look at Benny Gantz and say 'Let's handle Netanyahu with kid gloves' because otherwise [Bezalel] Smotrich will kill the last remaining option for us to do something,” said Gantz.
"So when I get to this moment, I will have to see. And then I'll say to Netanyahu, 'Excuse me, it's without Smotrich, it's Blue and White-Likud, let's talk. A unity government between Blue and White and Likud. You, from the day your trial starts, go to temporary incapacity until your trial is over,' I do not know exactly what, we'll find some arrangement,” continued Gantz.
In the same recordings, Gantz was also heard blasting Netanyahu and claiming that the Prime Minister had sold the country for money. "Submarines that no one needs. [Netanyahu] approved submarines for the Egyptians that no one needs. His uncle sells steel and he gets commissions from it, he raises the price. He will sell our security... What are we talking about? They just sold the country."
In a separate recording published on Channel 13, Gantz discusses Gabi Ashkenazi, whom he replaced as IDF Chief of Staff and is now number four on the Blue and White list.
"We watched (Ashkenazi's interview with journalist Dana Weiss -ed.) together with him at home, all four of us (the leaders of Blue and White -ed). He was very nervous before it aired, he was sweating, he was really sweating, the poor guy. He was much calmer afterwards, because we complimented him."
"What I have to say to him - I'll tell him in private - I do not think he was right, he should have said, 'Benny will be an excellent prime minister. He has been preparing for this for a year and a half. I joined him recently, I followed him. He is more suited than me at this stage to be prime minister and then we'll see.'"
After the criticism of the former Chief of Staff, this is what Gantz had to say about his other partners on the political journey - Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya'alon: "I'm not sure about any of the three [Lapid, Ya'alon and Ashkenazi]. I'm not sure about anyone."