The Minister of Defense criticized the Prime Minister's remarks and his call for an independent investigation against the conduct of the law enforcement system • "This is not a legitimate criticism but an attempt to crush and dismantle"
Defense Minister Bnei Gantz // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Deputy Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bnei Gantz said today (Wednesday) at a meeting of the Blue and White faction in the Knesset that he sided with law enforcement and criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for an independent investigation into the conduct of elements in the system.
At the beginning of the faction's meeting, Ganz said: "We have one clear and unequivocal message for everyone involved in law enforcement in the State of Israel: from the police officer, the investigator, the judge, the prosecutors and the judges themselves.
Stand up straight, do not be afraid and do not be afraid.
You will fulfill your duty and defend the rule of law and democracy and we will fulfill our duty and defend you.
"Sharp attacks by the government against the law enforcement system are a danger to Israeli democracy. This is not a legitimate criticism and there is nothing but an attempt to smash and dismantle it. The justice system and law enforcement were not born and will not collapse for the benefit of one person or another," Ganz added.
Ganz argued that holding his party's justice portfolio was intended to prevent moves such as the prime minister's, saying: "Blue and White holds the Justice Department to prevent dangerous and unnecessary steps and especially to continue to protect the courts and the law enforcement system that will ensure Israel's democratic resilience. "Not everything is personal. We will all stand as a wall in shape and give back to the justice system."
He also referred to the issue of the budget and said: "Tonight, the government will approve the end of the flow for 2020 in order to allow oxygen to the government ministries to continue operating during these weeks.
I thank the Minister of Finance, Israel Katz, for his hard work on this issue, together with me, with the Prime Minister and with Minister Amir Peretz and all the government ministers.
Along with the answer we give today, the State of Israel has been operating without a long budget.
Too long.
It's crippling.
This harms Israel's financial strength.
This creates uncertainty for the economy.
And if in a normal period this is a problematic situation, in the Corona period this is an unbearable situation. "