Miki Zohar to 'Post': Netanyahu mulling inviting Gantz to debate

Despite his reputation for bringing American-style politics to Israel, Netanyahu has refrained from holding formal debates against political opponents since 1996.

By GIL HOFFMAN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the Knesset, February 2020. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the Knesset, February 2020.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering challenging Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to a televised debate, Likud faction chairman Miki Zohar told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
Zohar spoke emotionally in the closed-door portion of Sunday’s Likud faction meeting about the need for Netanyahu to debate Gantz, as a game changer ahead of the March 2 election.
“It is absolutely right for the prime minister to debate Gantz,” Zohar said after the meeting. “I know he hasn’t wanted to debate in the past, but he is the underdog now. A debate would show the voters his verbal advantage and superior knowledge. He will beat him easily.”
Blue and White responded that Gantz should not give a platform to Netanyahu because of his indictments. Likud said Gantz should come to the debate with Joint List faction head Ahmad Tibi, because he cannot form a government without him.
Netanyahu debated then-prime minister Shimon Peres ahead of the 1996 election and Yitzhak Mordechai, who was one of his challengers in the 1999 election. But despite his reputation for bringing American-style politics to Israel, Netanyahu has refrained from holding formal debates against political opponents since then.
Gantz declared ahead of the April election that he was willing to hold “any debate” with Netanyahu “at any place.” Netanyahu responded then that the only debate that would happen would be in court, because he intended to sue Blue and White’s leaders.
“They accused me of betrayal,” he said. “They enter politics and hit a low immediately. I will sue all of them.”
At Sunday’s faction meeting, Netanyahu tried to persuade right-wing Likud MKs about the merits of US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” Middle East peace plan.
Netanyahu said the three most important events in the history of Israel were its founding in 1948, the Six Day War in 1967 and Trump revealing his plan two weeks ago. He credited himself with changing public opinion about Judea and Samaria in the US.
“Under [former US president] Barack Obama it was ‘not one brick,’ and under Trump, it is ‘not one [Palestinian] refugee,’ he said, comparing his least and most favorite American presidents.