By TOVAH LAZAROFFBenny Gantz in Yad Mordechai at the Gaza Border on May 5th, 2019(photo credit: Courtesy)
A heavy barrage of rockets interrupted a news conference in which opposition leader and former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz had intended to call for deterrence while standing near the entrance to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai.But as the cameras were set up and reporters were prepared to greet him, they had to jump into a nearby concrete bunker to avoid the rockets.Entering the bunker with the journalists, Gantz stated, “Israel must restore its deterrence. Hamas and the terror groups in Gaza that are setting the agenda for Israel. It is Israel that must set the agenda.”He said force must be met with greater force in order to ensure calm.Once calm has been restored, he explained, Israel must proceed with a diplomatic solution. Gantz did not provide any specific details about that solution, nor did he explain how Israel could exit the Gaza quagmire.Gantz had meant to immediately leave the bunker, but another round of explosions forced him back him in. He took an extra minute to laud the resilience of the people in southern Israel, including in Sderot and Ashkelon.
