Gantz, Netanyahu exchange barbs: 'While negotiators work, Netanyahu sabotages deal'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Unity head Benny Gantz exchanged barbs on Sunday after Gantz claimed that Netanyahu had attempted to sabotage a hostage deal by speaking on the subject to foreign media. 

"Netanyahu is once again running to the foreign media," Gantz initially said. "While the negotiators are working, Netanyahu is once again sabotaging it. You have no mandate to once again thwart the return of our hostages for political considerations. Returning the hostages is the right thing to do—morally, in terms of security, and nationally."

"We are in sensitive times—life and death truly rest on the power of words. To quote Netanyahu from just a week ago: 'The less we talk, the better,'” Gantz said.

“Yet, like a rerun, Netanyahu is once again rushing to foreign media and talking endlessly, and once again, a ‘diplomatic source’ provided a briefing over the weekend. While the negotiators are working, Netanyahu is again undermining the process," Gantz continued, alluding to the interview Netanyahu held with Wall Street Journal editorial writer Elliot Kaufman, published Friday.

"One more thing—you said in the Wall Street Journal that Hamas cannot rule Gaza because it is 30 miles from Tel Aviv," Gantz said, speaking directly to Netanyahu. "Let me remind you: Hamas cannot rule Gaza because it is two kilometers from Nir Oz and Be’eri, and four kilometers from Sderot. Their security must be restored, and the hostages taken from their beds there must be brought back."

Netanyahu responded to Gantz, saying that he should not "lecture" the prime minister on the need to eliminate Hamas or the "sacred mission of bringing our hostages home." 

"Since Gantz left the government for political reasons, the prime minister has led efforts to deliver a severe blow to Hamas, crush Hezbollah, and take direct action against Iran—measures that ultimately contributed to the fall of Assad's regime in Syria. Those who do not contribute to the national effort would do well, at the very least, not to hinder it," Netanyahu responded. He also slammed Gantz for "submissively calling for an end to the war even before entering Rafah."

Following this response, Gantz then told Netanyahu not to be a "serial coward." 

"You were afraid to dismantle the coalition, and only Gantz's persistence brought back over 100 hostages. You were afraid to launch a maneuver in Gaza, and it was Gantz who pushed to move forward. You trembled at the thought of starting a northern campaign to return residents to their homes on September 1, and it was Gantz who pressured you. You know very well that if the situation hadn’t been forced upon you - you would never have acted."

"Netanyahu, you have already sabotaged the possibility of a hostage deal in the past out of fear of breaking up the coalition. We won’t let you do it again when a real deal is on the table. Netanyahu—stop being afraid," Gantz stressed.

Netanyahu's interview with Kaufman

"I will not agree to end the war before we eliminate Hamas," Netanyahu declared in the interview published in the Wall Street Journal last Friday. "We will not leave them in power in Gaza, 30 kilometers from Tel Aviv. That will not happen."

"On October 7, I was woken up at 6:29 a.m. There was a large-scale attack from Gaza, and it was clear this was not a routine round of fighting. I arrived at the Kirya, our military headquarters, convened the cabinet, and declared war," Netanyahu recounted to Kaufman. "I said it was going to be a long war."

"On October 8, Hezbollah entered the fighting. At that point, we were facing two fronts," he continued.

"On October 9, I told the heads of the communities near Gaza, 'I ask you to stand firm because we are going to change the Middle East.' On October 11, the defense minister and the chief of staff suggested we shift our focus northward against Hezbollah, leaving Hamas in the south unanswered," the prime minister added.

"I said, 'We cannot do that. It is unwise to fight on two fronts simultaneously. One massive front at a time,'" Netanyahu explained, justifying his decision to avoid confronting the northern threat at the onset of the war.