The defense portfolio is held by the man who, for better or worse, is considered the median between the Right and Left in the coalition government. Blue and White party head Benny Gantz has the keys to the portfolio that contains not just explosive security material but material that could prove politically explosive to the already fragile coalition. He is required to make decisions that could on one hand do damage to the most important issue for the Left and on the other hand, embarrass Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, lawmakers from the New Hope party, and more importantly Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who continues to view the Right as her ideological home.
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In recent weeks, while coalition party heads have earned broad media coverage over their intra-coalition squabbles, Gantz has been playing to both sides.
On one hand, he decided to bolster the Palestinian Authority following the IDF's Operation Guardian of the Walls in May. He sat with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting that caused quite a political brouhaha. As a side note, that meeting was scheduled while Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu was still in office and was postponed by Gantz at the last minute so as not to harm the establishment of the so-called "change government." Within the framework of efforts to bolster the PA, Gantz has angered members of the Right and given Bennett quite the headache. But it wasn't only the Ramallah visit that was responsible. Let us not forget his authorization of the construction of over 1,000 housing units for Palestinians in Area C after over a decade in which nowhere near as many units were approved. Add to this his approval for the registrations of Palestinians who fled the Gaza Strip as well as other undocumented individuals in Judea and Samaria in the Palestinian population registry, a step many on the Right see as desecration of the status quo.
At the same time, though, Gantz continues to play to the Right. Just last week, with Bennett's support, he authorized the construction of thousands of housing units in Judea and Samaria through the Civil Administration's Higher Zoning Committee. He also designated six Palestinian human rights groups terrorist organizations and played a role in the compromise deal for the outpost of Evyatar. I am still waiting to see how Meretz leader and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and his fellow party member Yair Golan will swallow that move. At the time, Gantz told his close associated he made the decision to avoid an eviction more violent than the one we witnessed in Amona and so as not to shock the coalition.
In this shaky coalition, Gantz is a political and security anchor. He enjoys his status as an authority on all things defense and as such is seen as acceptable to a wide range of elements from settlers to the Democratic US administration. At times, this status makes his moves more palatable. No one would suspect Gantz of being more concerned with politics than Israel's defense. On the other hand, from a political perspective, everyone is comfortable attacking him and maintaining coalition integrity.
At a government meeting earlier this week, Bennett said Gantz was responsible for designating organizations with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as terrorist groups. New Hope Ministers Yoaz Handel, Ze'ev Elkin, and their fellow party members attacked him for his decision to meet with Abbas. On the other hand, Meretz and Labor party members can attack Gantz for decisions pertaining to construction in Judea and Samaria or the publication of those terrorist group designations, allowing them to abstain from attacking Bennett instead.
Gantz also enjoys his role as the man in the middle because it allows him political prominence, and perhaps because that is who he really is. He is a little of everything. And in the long run, he and his people believe it will only be to his benefit.
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