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Gantz stresses Jewish values in bid to lure Orthodox vote

The Talmudic principle of respecting civil law was because the sages didn’t want the Jews to create anarchy, said Gantz.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

Speaking at the Jerusalem Conference of the B’Sheva newspaper on Monday, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz made a pitch to lure right-wing religious voters by underscoring the importance of respecting Jewish principles in government.

“The national, and state-respecting camp is about accepting upon ourselves [the principle of] ‘the law of the land is the law,’” said Gantz in reference to the Talmudic law requiring the Jewish people to respect the civil laws of the country in which they reside.

The reason behind the Talmudic principle is because the sages didn’t want the Jews to destroy the very foundations of the law and create anarchy, said Gantz.

According to Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not respected this tradition because he continuously criticizes and undermines the authority of the police and state attorney’s office who indicted him.

“This is my mission, and in my eyes this is the idea behind the national and state-respecting camp: which loves this country, which is moved by the return to Zion, which is willing to fight for the security of the country, to settle its land, to take care of the weak, protect its Jewish identity, and respect the rules of the democratic game,” said Gantz.

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Speaking at the same conference after Gantz, Netanyahu called his political rival a “poor imitation” of himself.

“He’s Ali Express Bibi,” said Netanyahu, a reference to the Chinese online retail platform that imitates U.S. based Amazon.

Netanyahu also said that Gantz is just trying to deflect from the fact his Blue and White party cannot form a ruling majority without the support of the Arab parties.

After two inconclusive elections in 2019 Israelis will head to the polls on March 2.