Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz believes that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not avoid his trial, which is scheduled to open next week.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Ilana Dayan on the “Uvda” program which airs on Channel 12, Gantz was asked whether he would enact the overrule clause if the Supreme Court rejects the clause in the coalition agreement that gives Netanyahu the title of Alternate Prime Minister in a year and a half.
"The answer is no. We will not overrule the Supreme Court. We are there to obey the Supreme Court and its decisions. There will be no overrule clause," he replied.
Gantz explained why he joined the Netanyahu government after promising not to sit in a government headed by a person facing an indictment on criminal charges. "It wasn't a principle. It was a principled statement that was true for the time, and yet the State of Israel is in a situation that did not exist before."
"In the existing situation, that we did not win the elections, and in the emergency situation that existed, I had to choose between pursuing the agenda of ‘anyone but Bibi’ and advancing the agenda of the State of Israel, and I chose to advance the agenda of the State of Israel, even if at that stage I folded the ‘anyone but Bibi' flag in the simple sense of the word ... We didn't have the political power to make the changes we wanted ... I realized that unity is a necessity."
Gantz dismissed the criticism against him by his former colleagues in the Blue and White faction, led by Yair Lapid and Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon, saying they themselves did not rule out sitting in the same government with Netanyahu.
"We sat for days on end, and we talked about all kinds of options in the cockpit: Netanyahu serving first, Netanyahu serving second, under what conditions we find it acceptable, under what conditions we find it unacceptable."
Meaning, the possibility of unity with Netanyahu came up?
"Of course! One of the things that was important to us in the cockpit is not to rule out all the options completely...At the end of the day the impression was that the guy (Yair Lapid) is making his choices. The decision to dismantle Blue and White is Yair and Bogie's decision. I respect them for their choice. I was leading Blue and White.”
“In the end I have to make a decision, and it will be a defining decision. I do respect the people who chose not to stay with me. They can slander me as much as they want. I didn't think it would reach such a level but I won't go there."
"I look at the process as a whole. We have a unity government that is an equal government. We collectively set the agenda of the State of Israel ... This is the result I see. I am very much at peace with the result.”
“I have accomplished quite a bit in a year and a half. I think I may have accomplished more than most people have accomplished in a year and a half. And this was done by a person who does not understand politics according to the best of the commentators. And yet, when looking at the results you see that I arrived at something that some people didn't achieve despite decades of work in politics ... I ended up with half the power, I got half the government, and I don't think my achievements are limited."