Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued a stark warning to the international community in a New York Times op-ed, asserting that growing Western support for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood is not a rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but a rejection of Israel’s bipartisan security consensus.
“Opposition to the recognition of Palestinian statehood stands at the heart of that consensus,” Gantz wrote, emphasizing that any future autonomy must be preceded by “accountable governance, comprehensive de-radicalization reforms and a successful crackdown on terror elements targeting Israelis.”
Gantz, a former member of Israel’s war cabinet, stressed that the October 7 Hamas massacre marked a “strategic rupture” and that Israel’s response was driven by necessity, not politics. “Despite Mr. Netanyahu’s hesitation, I pressed for an immediate ground operation in Gaza,” he revealed, adding that he also supported a stronger response to Iran’s April 2024 attack.
He criticized Western leaders for misunderstanding Israel’s security needs, citing a conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: “There is no symmetry between defending one’s country against sporadically active terror cells in Europe and a terror pseudostate… backed by a country like Iran.”
Gantz called for long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza and formal control over the Jordan Valley to prevent future attacks. “These are not political positions. They are, in my view, security requirements to prevent the next Oct. 7.”
He concluded by urging the world to respect Israel’s democratic consensus, referencing the Knesset’s 2024 declaration opposing unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state: “Such action following Oct. 7 would be an unprecedented rewarding of terror and prevent any future peace arrangement.”