he political and health chaos we find ourselves in creates a lot of noise but very little essence. Among the shouting in the Knesset and the confusing coronavirus guidelines, one person promotes an ideology in the background, quietly, without statements.
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Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the politician who has escaped the ire of the public perhaps the most, now stands at a key position where no one – neither from the coalition nor from the opposition – dare attack him.
Gantz is taking us back to the 90s and the Oslo Accords. The flattering meetings, talk of brave actions, forced smiles, and that which the PA officials say in their own language, in Arabic. Gantz sees steps that build trust, they see struggle. Gantz sees peace, they see weakness.
While Gantz says that "the one responsible for sending troops into battle is the one responsible for preventing it," while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declares that "the aid we received will help the Palestinian hold onto his land and give him time to continue to fight the occupation."
History is repeating itself as if we have learned nothing from the first strategy.
The trust-building steps that Gantz has taken without asking anything from the PA in return are three-fold: economic, territorial, and demographic.
In terms of economy, it was loans of hundreds of millions of dollars and global persuasion to financially support the PA as well as creating economic agreements that would benefit it, without a demand the authority stop paying salaries to terrorists.
Gantz also gave freedom of movement to Palestinian businessmen without any commitment on their part to not act against Israel in the regional and international arena.
In terms of territory, it was the permits for massive construction in Israel-controlled Area C, while turning a blind eye to the PA's continued takeover of Jewish localities in Judea and Samaria.
And in terms of demography, it was the reunification of thousands of families, the significance of which is tens of thousands of Palestinians. These steps not even former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dared to take.
But above all, Gantz is giving legitimacy and encouragement to Abbas, who is leading a deadly move against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
Under Gantz, the Civil Administration – which has never been in favor of settlement construction – has become the enemy of the settlers. Its focus is to suffocate Israeli agriculture and evacuate Homesh.
Gantz has become the one in charge and has already made it clear that he does not intend to ask Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for permission to do anything, but "updating ahead of time," it seems, in terms of policy and action on the ground.
As such, Gantz consistently prepares the ground for a Palestinian state under the watch of Bennett, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, Housing Minister Ze'ev Elkin, and Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar, with Netanyahu hanging on to hope that one day he will return to power.
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