Palestine Welcomes Netanyahu’s Opposition to Pull Away from West Bank

Ramallah, MINA – The Palestinian Presidential Office on Wednesday, gave a cautious welcome to the statement of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s closest rival who wants Israel to remove from the occupied West Bank.

“It is very encouraging if he succeeds and he holds fast to this opinion,” Nabil Abu Rdeineh told the media.

Netanyahu’s political rivals are former Israeli Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Benny Gantz who is campaigning for the upcoming general election, as New Arab reported.

He told an Israeli newspaper last week that he opposed the dominance of one population and suggested that Israel withdraw from the occupied West Bank.

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“Gaza withdrawals have been approved by the Israeli government and carried out by the army and settlers in a painful but good way,” he told the Yediot Aharonot newspaper.

Gantz did not explicitly refrain from describing the terms of withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.

The 59-year-old retired general launched his campaign on January 29 in a speech promising conservative diplomatic and security policies.

He promised to safeguard the strategic Jordan Valley region in the occupied West Bank under Israeli rule, along with the Golan Heights annexed by Israel and East Jerusalem.

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Although he did not say, in an interview, Gantz could support the withdrawal of wild cat posts that were not approved by Israeli authorities at this time.

All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, but Israel draws a distinction between those who are sanctioned and those who do not. (T/Sj/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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