When reporters in the Knesset asked Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz Dec. 2 what he thought about Defense Minister Naftali Bennett’s plan to build a new Jewish neighborhood in Hebron, he answered, “We need to hear the opinions of all the professional bodies dealing with this issue. Once we hear the professional opinions of the various defense organizations and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, we can present a genuine position.”
It is quite possible that Gantz realized that this is a ridiculous and dangerous plan, which must never be implemented, but why say so? Instead, Gantz opted for the army formula. He knows that Likud supporters in his Knesset faction and among his voters might actually support the Hebron settlement idea. He understands that he would be much better off if the Israel Defense Forces (and Gantz knows what they think about issues like this) end up being the “bad guys” that take the idea down. At the same time, it is also possible that he does not fully realize how problematic this idea is. Maybe he does not remember the decision made in 1968 to establish the settlement of Kiryat Arba outside of Hebron to prevent friction between Jewish and Muslim extremists in the City of the Patriarchs. In any event, he may not have acted like a real leader, but that is how they act in the “cockpit,” the term used to describe the four heads of the Blue and White party: Don’t say anything so as not to cause any damage to the very fragile common denominator uniting the party — no matter how low the bar is.