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Israel’s new foreign minister has other, higher ambitions

For Gabi Ashkenazi, his appointment as Israel’s new foreign minister is just the first step in his expected political soar.
Co-leader of Blue and White party, Gaby Ashkenazi, speaks to supporters at his election campaign event in Tel Aviv, Israel September 15, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1D28A42640

In December 2012, a few days after the UN General Assembly made history by recognizing Palestine as a nonmember observer state, Israel’s former military Chief Lt. Gen. (Res.) Gabi Ashkenazi discussed the development with participants of the annual Israel Business Conference. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was calling the move insignificant and lashing out at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Ashkenazi presented a different view.

“I believe we need a Jewish and democratic state for the Jewish people, and if we want to preserve that we must separate from the Palestinians. And if there is no partner, Israel must declare the borders of its Jewish home and operate accordingly,” Ashkenazi said in his widely reported remarks.

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