Benny Gantz is No Politician… And That is Exactly Why I Will Be Voting For Him on Tuesday March 23rd.

Benny Gantz is a warrior who for 40 years has willingly put his life on the line for the people and the State of Israel. 

With more than a few tough battles behind him, Benny understands that the battlefield is often a chaotic and constantly changing environment.  Tough decisions have to be made and more often than not it is a choice between the devil and the deep blue see, but just the same, a decision is crucial to survival and the ability to fight on.

After election number 3, once he realized that the choice before him was either a 4th election with a more than likely outright Netanyahu victory, or the opportunity to curb the excesses of a corrupt Bibi administration, Gantz made his choice and opted for what he saw as the lesser of two evils. 

He believed that the Corona crisis demanded a unity government.  He genuinely believed that Netanyahu would also recognize the urgency of the crisis and put the country first.  That was his first error and a serious one at that.  An error on the battlefield can have dire consequences and over the past nine months, Netanyahu, perhaps the most talented politician of his generation in the world, provided Gantz and Kahol Lavan with  an abject and brutal lessen in politics. 

Now Benny Gantz may have lost the battle, but within that he still succeeded in blocking many of the excesses of Netanyahu and his “criminal gang”.  Because Benny Gantz joined the coalition government, Netanyahu was unable to carry out his plan to undermine and ultimately neuter the High Court and the legal system in general.  

Because Benny Gantz joined the coalition government, Netanyahu did not achieve his ultimate goal of immunity from prosecution.  Because Benny Gantz joined the coalition government, the planned annexation was stopped in its tracks, and many of the worst elements of the Netanyahu administration were reigned in or blocked.

Yes, Benny Gantz made mistakes.  He actually admits to his mistakes, which is rare, almost no-existent in Israeli politics today. 

But as a true warrior, Benny Gantz knows better than most, that you can lose a battle and yet still win the war.  Battered and bruised from his close quarter battle with Netanyahu, he emerges weakened yet still fighting and determined, understanding that there is no alternative but victory, that this is a war for the very soul of the country.

Now more than ever the country needs individuals like benny Gantz in the Knesset, those who will put the country first, no matter the consequences.  He has lost the confidence and trust of many.  Those on the center left, who now choose to demonize and delegitimize Gantz are so angry at Gantz, that they now wish to see him surrender the fight and disappear.  Their sense of betrayal and disappointment at the current situation demands a sacrificial lamb.  Gantz for them is an individual who can be blamed for all the ills brought upon the country by Netanyahu. 

They fantasize that Gantz had other options, which he didn’t.  Once Hauser and Hendel abandoned / betrayed Kahol Lavan, they didn’t have the numbers.  Rather than recognize the difficulty and complexity of the situation.  Rather than acknowledge the importance of being able to successfully block some of the excesses of the Netanyahu government, it is so much easier to condemn the action and ignore the facts at the time.  Because, what matters in life apparently is having someone to blame.

But for the country and all its people and for the future of all our children it is crucial that Netanyahu be defeated.  Despite the wishful thinking, Lapid cannot put together a coalition.  He needs Gantz in the Knesset, as do we all.

Regrettably, Lapid’s attempts over the past couple of weeks to undermine Gantz and cannibalize his own block, only suggests that he is more interested in getting more seats that Saar and Bennett combined and less so in the overall performance of the block.  This must stop.  For the sake of the country, park your anger and your self-indulgent righteous indignation. 

Benny Gantz is a fighter and moreover a straight shooter who puts the country first and is not scared to make tough and unpopular decisions if he believes they are in the best interests of the country.  We need more individuals like Benny Gantz in the Knesset, not less.  For now he is crucial in the battle to save Israeli democracy.

For those of you still undecided, vote for the warrior that puts the country and us all first.  Vote for Benny Gantz and Kahol Lavan.