More questions about Benny Gantz's fitness to be Israel's Prime Minister

I have already written about the question of Gantz's fitness to be Israel's PM (see "Has Benny Gantz just proven he lacks  the skill to make competent political decisions?", below, December 31, 2019). In that essay, I questioned his ability to choose competent enough advisors for him to become Israel's leader. Now, a new report surfaces that again raises this same question--for the exact same reason.

As you may  know, Benny Gantz was in Washington, DC yesterday, January 27, 2020. The purpose of this trip was to meet with US President Trump just before Trump was scheduled to announce details of his "Deal of the Century" Peace Plan for Israel and 'Palestine'. Current Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu was there, too--but not at the same time. Each man vying in the March, 2020 national election in Israel to be Israel's next PM got his own session with Trump to hear privately about the Peace Plan's details. 

So far, there's nothing obviously wrong with any of this. What is wrong is Gantz's apparent inability--once again--to choose close advisors who are politically competent. The latest person to raise this issue, inadvertently, of course, is a "close" Gantz advisor, Ronen Tzur. Tzur, we have been told,  had accompanied Gantz to Washington for this visit (here).

Apparently, Tzur is what some might call a potential "political hand grenade" right next to Gantz. If that 'political hand grenade' goes off, Gantz could be finished. 

What did Tzur do? Well, here's a short list of some of what Tzur has done:

-In March, 2016, Tzur twitted about Trump that, "Trump's next book: Mein Trumpf".

-In May 2017, Tzur wrote, “The most surprising thing about Trump is only one thing was leaked to the Russians until now.”

-In July, 2017, Tzur wrote: “Tonight at the White House: The Elimination Episode.” [The Hebrew word for 'elimination' is the same as 'impeachment' (sic)].

-In August, 2017, he referred to Donald J Trump as "Donald Adolf Trump".

-In May, 2018, he tweeted, “2 approaches to leadership now clashing fiercely: Obama and Clinton’s psychological approach and Trump and Putin’s psychopathic approach.”

Tzur never deleted these tweets (ibid). The inference is, he came to Washington with them still up--and visible for anyone to see.

If Gantz is to serve as Israel's next PM, will he be well-served by such an advisor? Certainly not, if Gantz wishes to have a good relationship with the current US President.

To lead Israel successfully, Gantz needs to know how to interact with foreign leaders. He especially needs to know how to interact with leaders from the planet's most powerful nations. Insulting those leaders, or bringing on a visit to such a leader those who do that insulting for Gantz (for that will be the inference taken), doesn't win friends. It doesn't influence any sitting foreign leader for the better. 

Can Israel afford such a leader? 

Unfortunately, Tzur wasn't finished with insulting others. He kept it up from Washington. Apparently, some members of Likud reacted badly to these tweets about Trump. Two hours before the Trump-Gantz meeting took place, and in reply to criticism from Likud members, Tzur labelled such followers of Likud as 'cult members'. He wrote, "“Seeing that some members of the cult have gotten overexcited at some tweets from past years I will clarify: There were certain issues that I thought differently about from the president" (ibid). 

Clarification for Tzur: 'thinking differently' about 'certain issues' isn't the same as calling Trump, Donald Adolph Trump, or using such language as Mein Trumpf, or 'Trump behaves like a psychopath'. 'Thinking differently' isn't even in the same league as these insults. If Tzur doesn't understand the difference between 'differences', versus slanderous--or, perhaps, even hate-speech--what's he doing at the ear of a potential Prime Minister?

For that matter, what's he doing in Washington, DC with that potential leader? A t the very least, leave such a man at home.

 Yes, at the same time that Tzur trashed Likud followers, and just minutes before the Trump-Gantz meeting, Tzur did praise Trump (ibid). But such praise doesn't erase the unerased anti-Trump slurs from 2016, 2017 and 2018. Indeed, compared to the earlier insults, such praise right before a meeting with Trump just makes Tzur look like a hypocritical boot-licker.

Is this the kind of advisor Gantz surrounds himself with? Worse yet for Israel, what does such a choice tell us about Gantz?

Remember, Tzur is a political confidant of Gantz. Unlike you or me, he has Gantz' ear. He's important enough to travel to Washington with Gantz. 

What is someone like this doing so close to a potential Israeli leader? 

In the US, many, many people who refer to Trump using this language above are Leftists. They promote an anti-capitalist, anti-border, anti-religion, anti-Trump and pro-Socialism agenda. Is this what Ronen Tzur believes? 

More important for Israel's voters, is this what Gantz himself believes? Is this why Gantz has Tzur traveling with him?

What is Tzur--and his beliefs--doing with Gantz in America? We don't know.  But his tweets raise questions: Does Tzur suggest with his political insults what will be Gantz' secret agenda--an anti-Trump, pro-Socialism agenda for Israel?

How, exactly, will that look for Israel? Well, Gantz hasn't spoken about any of this. He hasn't laid out the plans he will bring to Israel. Does Tzur now speak for him? Certainly, we actually know next to nothing about Gantz' plans for Israel--other than, Netanyahu-man-bad-Netanyahu -must-go.

Is this enough to elect him our leader?

This is what make Tzur's slander so frightening. It makes us realize how little we know about Gantz' ideas and ideology. Does Tzur inadvertently reveal the political realities that are close to Gantz' heart?

More important for all of us who will vote in March, 2020, is this the kind of anti-Trump, anti-capitalist  belief-structure Israel wants to vote for?

Once again (as with the episode reported in the December 31, 2019 essay), we see a Gantz advisor force us to ask if Gantz is really the 'best man' to lead the world's only Jewish state. After all, between now and at least the end of 2021, Israel has some treacherous waters to navigate. Israel will need to travel upstream against strong currents in the UN, the EU, a potentially hostile US Congress, a hate-mongering Iran, rockets at Israel's Northern--and Southern--borders, potential fallout from international economic anti-Israelism, a potential ICC war crimes tribunal set up against Israel, and pressure from a growing Russian interest in increasing its influence in the Middle East. People like Ronen Tzur aren't going to help Israel with such challenges. People like Tzur could, in a single, unguarded instant, seriously undercut--or even destroy--any positive understanding Israel has--or will have--developed with a foreign power.

Israel's voters need to think very hard about what they'll get with a Gantz-led Israel. So far, Gantz does more to cut off his nose despite his face than to enhance his standing in the world. Is the man Israel needs right now?