As he prepares to step down from his post, Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke on Wednesday evening with Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Gantz stressed the importance of the relationship that has developed between the Israeli defense establishment and the political echelon and the Palestinian Authority, and told Abbas that he sees the utmost importance in continuing to maintain an open channel and the security and civil coordination, which serves the security of both Palestinian Arabs and Israelis and enables economic and civil well-being.
Gantz also told Abbas that international moves against Israel, such as the one the Palestinian Authority is seeking to promote at the United Nations, will ultimately harm the Palestinian Arab public as well, and above all make it difficult to advance a peace process between the parties in the future.
In August of last year, Gantz hosted Abbas at his home, in a meeting which was approved by then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
A senior official in the government criticized Gantz following his meeting with Abbas, saying he “only cares about his own political interests” and “is behaving like a government within a government.”
The Defense Minister, however, insisted that Bennett was aware of the meeting with Abbas and approved it.
Gantz again came under fire for his contacts with Abbas this past summer, when the PA chairman accused Israel of committing "50 holocausts" during a trip to Germany.
In response, the Defense Minister stressed that he intends to continue the contacts with Abbas, claiming the Israel-PA cooperation saved countless lives.