On Wednesday evening, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to continue security coordination between the two sides, warning against steps led by Palestine against Israel at the United Nations, according to Israeli media.
This call came in a phone call that Gantz made hours before the end of his term, and with Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu announcing the lineup of his government and presenting it to the Knesset to gain confidence, a step scheduled for Thursday morning, where he will succeed Gantz as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to what was announced. Netanyahu earlier.
Gantz told the Palestinian president - according to a statement from the office of the first, carried by the private Israeli channel 12 - that he "deems the utmost importance to continue to maintain an open channel and security and civil coordination that serves the security of Palestinians and Israelis and provides economic and civil well-being."
Gantz stressed "the importance of the relationship that has developed between the Israeli security apparatus, the political level and the Palestinian Authority," as he put it.
He touched on "Israeli security concerns regarding the Palestinian Authority's intention to take steps against Israel at the United Nations and at the International Court of Justice in The Hague."
In this regard, Gantz told Abbas, "International moves against Israel, such as those that the Palestinian Authority is seeking to advance at the United Nations, will ultimately harm the Palestinian public, and above all, will make it difficult in the future to push for a political process between the two parties."
Peace talks
It is noteworthy that peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have stalled since April 2014, due to Tel Aviv's refusal to stop settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and its evasion of the two-state solution.
Last November, the Fourth Committee of the United Nations voted in favor of Palestine's request for a legal advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice regarding the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
98 countries supported the resolution and 17 others opposed it, while 52 countries abstained from voting.
It is expected that the Israeli Knesset (parliament) will vote, today, Thursday, December 29, to grant confidence to the Netanyahu government, before the latter takes the constitutional oath and begins to perform its duties.