‘Either We Are the Strongest or We Don’t Exist’: Gantz Presents Plan for Israel’s Continued Security

Latest Developments

• Aim To Isolate Iran: Benny Gantz, Israel’s former defense minister and the leader of the opposition Blue and White Party, presented his “Israel’s Security Vision 2040” plan to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on November 3. The plan calls for bolstering Israel’s international alliances, reinvesting in its defense infrastructure, and defanging Iran. “We must maintain a collaboration of intelligence capacity of different countries and international cooperation, international inspection in Iran,” he stated. “It’s very important that we will look at reality as it is and not as we would hope it to be. And if Iran is bluffing, we need to see Iran is bluffing.”
• Maintaining Military Edge: Gantz argued that Israel should increase its local defense manufacturing capabilities while retaining its qualitative military edge over its adversaries. “We are the only democratic outpost of the Western world in the Middle East. So, either we are the strongest, with no doubt, or we don’t exist. And I think Israel’s existence is not just a question of the national interest of the Israeli people but also of the democratic world,” Gantz said.
• Persuading Turkey To Align With the West: Addressing the rising influence of Turkey, Gantz stated that Israel should encourage NATO to persuade Turkey to rebuke “terror and fundamentalism,” including in Syria, where it wields significant influence. Recalling his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2022, Gantz said that cooperation with Turkey is not a “lost cause” despite Erdogan’s belligerent tone and support for Hamas over the last two years. “I think we should try and influence Turkey to reassess where it wants to be, to rebalance where it wants to be between the West and the extremists of the Muslim Brotherhood. And I think they should choose the West,” Gantz said. “[T]hey can keep supporting the Muslims. That’s fine with me — but stay away from radicals.”

FDD Expert Response

“Minister Gantz is right: Israel must see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. Despite the punishing U.S. and Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities and ballistic missile program in June, the Islamic Republic remains relentlessly committed to building a nuclear weapon and the missiles to deliver it. Washington and Jerusalem understand that real regional stability will only come when Tehran abandons its nuclear ambitions, opens every facility to international inspectors for anywhere, anytime inspections, permanently halts all uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, and ends its support for terrorist proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraq’s Shiite militias. Until then, we can expect more rounds in the Iran-Israel war.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO.

“Minister Gantz deserves credit for looking long-term and trying to build a 2040 strategy, but the objective assessment of reality that he rightly recommends makes clear that Israel is going to have its hands full in the next few years. Israel’s enemies are seriously degraded but not destroyed. Expect Gaza to consume time, resources, and attention, even as Iran is rebuilding with the help of China in preparation for the next war. Meanwhile, the January 2029 clock in Washington is ticking, and Israel should be sprinting to replenish, expand, and modernize vital stockpiles and capabilities.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

“As Gantz noted, if the Palestinians and Israel’s neighbors want to avoid Israeli attacks, they must actively neutralize threats to Israel before Israel does it for them. Hamas’s October 7 massacres have taught Israel that it cannot live with genocidal forces along its borders.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

FDD Background and Analysis

“Israel Rejects Safe Passage To Allow Terrorists To Return to Hamas-Controlled Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Keep US aid and wartime replenishment off Israel’s 2026 base budget,” by Jacob Nagel

“Turkey’s Gulf Tour and Erdogan’s Gaza Ambitions are Dangerous,” by Sinan Ciddi and Ahmad Sharawi

“What must be done — and NOT done — to make sure Gaza cease-fire holds,” by Bradley Bowman