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Israeli defense minister calls on Palestinians to return to negotiations

Benny Gantz, Israel's Alternate Prime Minister and Defence Minister, takes off a mask as he gives a statement. (File/AFP)
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Updated 04 December 2020

Israeli defense minister calls on Palestinians to return to negotiations

Israeli defense minister calls on Palestinians to return to negotiations
  • Alternate Prime Minister welcomed the return of contact between the Palestinian Authority and Israel
  • He called on Palestinians to coordinate with Israel on the handling of the coronavirus pandemic

Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz called on the Palestinians to return to negotiations and coordination regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel will provide COVID-19 vaccines for the Palestinians, Israeli Defense Minister said on Friday.

Gantz addressed the Palestinian public directly for the first time in a video posted on the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories's (COGAT) Arabic language Facebook page.

COGAT is a unit in the Israeli Ministry of Defense that engages in coordinating civilian issues between the government,  international organizations and the Palestinian Authority.

The minister also claimed that Tel Aviv was ready to push for large projects in Gaza, provided that prisoners and missing persons are returned.

The proposed projects with Gaza will allow the exit of workers and joint industrial zones, he added.

“The Middle East is changing,” the minister said, touching on recent normalization agreements made between Israel and Arab countries.

“It is in your interest to integrate and to return to the negotiation table and create hope for the future of the next generations,” he said.