Religious Zionist Party chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich does not have the "necessary capabilities" to serve as Israel's next defense minister, current Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Wednesday morning.
The difference between the capabilities of the Religious Zionist Party (RZP) chairman and Defense Minister Benny Gantz to serve as the next Defense Minister amount to the "difference between East and West," said Gantz during an interview on KAN radio on Wednesday morning.
Asked about comments Smotrich made last week in which he did not rule out the option of serving as Israel's next Defense Minister, Gantz chuckled and said, "I believe that the skills that I and my colleagues in the National Unity Party have in the field of safeguarding Israel's national security are as far from those of the person you mentioned [Smotrich] as East is to West."
"I believe that the Defense Minister needs to be an expert in security and understand and deal with them, [and] the person you mentioned does not have the necessary capabilities on this matter. I respect every person's comment and understand the campaign, but it is not relevant," Gantz added.
Smotrich responded on Twitter saying: "Benny Gantz is a leftist, a weak and failing Defense Minister. Citizens do not have security, the state lost its deterrence and surrendered to Hezbollah, and Gantz is busy building the Palestinian state instead of stopping the terror that is running rampant throughout the country.
בני גנץ הוא איש שמאל, שר בטחון רופס וכושל. לאזרחים אין ביטחון, המדינה איבדה את ההרתעה ונכנעה לחיזבאללה, וגנץ מתעסק בבניית המדינה הפלסטינית במקום בגדיעת הטרור שמשתולל בכל הארץ.בעוד שבועיים נמחק את הצחוק המתנשא והלגלוג שלו בממשלת ימין ובעז״ה נחזיר את הביטחון והשפיות לאזרחי ישראל. pic.twitter.com/yT9N1fQVYX
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) October 19, 2022
"In two weeks, we will wipe his condescending laughter and ridicule [from his face], and form a right-wing government and with God's help return security and sanity to the citizens of Israel," Smotrich wrote.
The clash between the two occurred after RZP received 14 seats on a KAN poll published Tuesday night, which constituted a record high in KAN's polls, while Gantz received a record low of 11.
"In any society that experiences crises there is a tendency towards radicalism," Gantz said in response. "I am convinced that thinking voters will understand that [the choice is between] those who did not serve in the military or served in minor roles, versus those who served for dozens of years and dealt with all of the fronts and countless operational incidents, including involvement in making cardinal decisions for the State of Israel. The public will decide and we will respect its decision," Gantz said.
Gantz formerly served as the IDF chief of staff, and number three on his list, Gadi Eisenkot, did as well. Number nine on the list is Col. (res.) Matan Kahana, who served in the IDF's elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit Sayeret Matkal) and then as a fighter jet pilot.
Smotrich served for a shortened period of 16 months due to his yeshiva studies, and the number two on his list, MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, was not drafted to the IDF due to his involvement in a terror organization, as well as convictions for several other crimes being convicted of a number of crimes, including belonging to a terror organization.
Their party however also includes Almog Cohen (number seven on the list), who served in the IDF's elite YAMAM police unit, and Brig.-Gen. (res.) Zvika Fogel, who served for 28 years, mostly in the Artillery Corps.