Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman spoke at the start of a cabinet meeting about the latest escalation in the Gaza Strip and the possibility of continued kite terrorism under the auspices of the ceasefire reported last night."There is no intention to contain rockets or kites and anything," Liberman said. "I hope that Hamas will draw conclusions, and if they do not, they will have to pay a heavy price."
This morning, Sunday, ministers Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Katz criticized the government's policy vis-à-vis the Hamas terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip.
Minister Bennett said at the cabinet meeting, "For three months, we have been witness to incendiary terror of about 1,000 balloons on residents of the Gaza vicinity. In recent days alone, the residents of the south absorbed about 200 rockets. In timing that is convenient for it, Hamas dictates that there will now be a ceasefire.”
"Let it be clear: a ceasefire without stopping terror is not a deterrent - it is surrender. I and the justice minister [Ayelet Shaked] will oppose any ceasefire that allows Hamas to rearm and continue to fire balloons at the residents of the south. The time has come to act,” he added.
"Let it be clear: a ceasefire without stopping terror is not a deterrent - it is surrender. I and the justice minister [Ayelet Shaked] will oppose any ceasefire that allows Hamas to rearm and continue to fire balloons at the residents of the south. The time has come to act,” he added.
Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) added that he expects Defense Minister Liberman to present the cabinet with a proposal for a clear policy vis-a-vis Gaza.
"The collapse of Hamas and the elimination of terror, or separation from all civilian responsibility and the creation of a boundary line with full deterrence - as with Syria and Lebanon. There is no option of continuing in the current situation. It is not fair to the residents of the Gaza vicinity and harms the security of the State of Israel," Katz said.
"The collapse of Hamas and the elimination of terror, or separation from all civilian responsibility and the creation of a boundary line with full deterrence - as with Syria and Lebanon. There is no option of continuing in the current situation. It is not fair to the residents of the Gaza vicinity and harms the security of the State of Israel," Katz said.
