The leader of the Royal Camp, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, issued a statement to the media this evening (Sunday).
His full statement: "I wish to address you at the end of a difficult and painful day. The current reality requires us all to face it – we are facing a strategic event for the State of Israel. This is not an operation – it is a war. In war, the characteristics are different, the rules are different, and the outcomes will be different. In our 75 years of existence, we have faced immense challenges, and we have always overcome them. This time will be no different."
"In this battle it will be us or them and it will be us"
"Those who decided to infiltrate the territory of the State of Israel, to murder civilians, and undermine the foundations of our existence, will find that their home is collapsing, its foundations shattered, and their reality changed. What we are seeing in Gaza today will not be. I visited today with the heroic citizens in the Gaza periphery, and I saw alongside the deep pain and sorrow, also their strength. For them, for all our children - we will overcome our enemies. Those who abducted our citizens will be eliminated. In this battle - it's us or them. And it will be us.
"History has already proven that the State of Israel knows how to emerge victorious from a war, and the future will reinforce this recognition from Gaza to Tehran. Our goal must be to bring about a profound change in the reality of the Gaza Strip and send a broad message to all our enemies decades ahead.
"At this time, when our best sons and daughters are enlisting in the reserves, when we mourn hundreds of casualties, when we all pray for the well-being of thousands of wounded, captives, and missing, we must take responsibility and enlist as leaders as well. I know very well what it's like to fight when the bullets are flying above you, when soldiers under your responsibility enter Gaza and Lebanon, risking their lives. It's time to unite the ranks under leadership for the wartime period."
"If it is decided that we will not enter the government, the Royal Camp will provide full support from the outside"
"So that we can unite the people and win. Therefore, already yesterday, I informed the Prime Minister that I am ready to stand by for duty and discuss the joining of the Royal Camp, with the hope that other opposition parties will join as well, with the intention of forming a war cabinet that will lead the battlefront against Gaza and all other fronts. If we are given a real opportunity to influence and participate in the management of the war, we will stand by until its conclusion. And if not, the security apparatus and the government will receive our full support from the outside for every determined and responsible step.
"I want to address all the citizens who are currently at home and say to them: I understand the fears and frustrations. This is not the time for questions but for answers. Our duty at this time is to provide support to the military and diplomatic leadership in order to assist them in the battlefield. Do not believe and do not lend a hand to conspiracy theories that are concocted by the enemy's propaganda. We will be strong from within and defeat our enemies from the outside.
"We will take responsibility, we will win together, and we will turn this black Saturday into a moment that will shape the strength of Israel and its security dominance in the region for many years to come. This is our responsibility to the future generations, to ensure the eternity of Israel and to safeguard the State of Israel."
