Yitzchack Ilan, former deputy director of the Shin Bet intelligence service, was interviewed today on Radio 103FM.
"This round was bizarre, we killed a medium-level commander and were hit by hundreds of rockets without responding appropriately. The round finished even more bizarrely."
How should have we responded?
"My opinion is that anyone who shoots rockets at civilians is a war criminal and thus should be treated. Either he should be arrested and spend a long time in jail or he should be eliminated."
25 members of Islamic Jihad were killed.
"2,500 members should have been killed, that would have been a fitting response."
You disagree with the rationale of the government that widespread action with multiple kills would bring Hamas into this round of violence?
"Of course, Israel and the IDF should put an end to this ridiculous saga in which civilians cannot sleep at night."
Can it be stopped through military means?
"Of course, if Gaza is conquered, similar to the way we conquered Judea and Samaria and cleared it of terrorists. I was Shin Bet commander in Samaria during Operation Defensive Shield (2002 operation in response to the 2nd Intifida), we had to persuade the government that the only way to stop terror attacks from Judea and Samaria was a large scale operation and not surgical strikes." READ MORE
