Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz spoke at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference. The following is the full transcript of the cabinet minister's speech:
Following the recent events in the south: the violence along the fence, the burning of fields and the firing of hundreds of rockets at Israeli communities, we are now closer to a no-choice war against Hamas in Gaza.
We must strike hard to restore deterrence. Unfortunately, the resignation of Israel’s defense minister also contributed to Hamas' sense of victory. Yahya Sinwar’s threats to fire missiles on Tel Aviv show this very clearly.
As far as the Israeli government is concerned, Sderot and Ashkelon are just like Tel Aviv. Any attack on Israeli soil must be met with a tough response. We must not reach a situation in which there is a balance of deterrence between the State of Israel and a terrorist organization like Hamas, whose sole aim is our destruction.
After Operation Tzuk Eytan [Defensive Edge], when Hamas was at the height of its weakness and completely isolated from the Arab world, I called for a strategic decision to be taken regarding Israel’s policy towards Gaza – to disengage from any civilian responsibility for Gaza - no fuel, no electricity and certainly no salaries for members of Hamas.
This would have been a move to full security deterrence, like the situation which exists on our border with Hezbollah in Lebanon and on our border with Syria - zero tolerance for any violation of Israeli sovereignty. If Sinwar, or Haniyeh, were to fire a bullet or a rocket at a soldier or an Israeli citizen, they would pay with their heads, like Nasrallah in Lebanon who is today hiding in a bunker. READ MORE
After Operation Tzuk Eytan [Defensive Edge], when Hamas was at the height of its weakness and completely isolated from the Arab world, I called for a strategic decision to be taken regarding Israel’s policy towards Gaza – to disengage from any civilian responsibility for Gaza - no fuel, no electricity and certainly no salaries for members of Hamas.
This would have been a move to full security deterrence, like the situation which exists on our border with Hezbollah in Lebanon and on our border with Syria - zero tolerance for any violation of Israeli sovereignty. If Sinwar, or Haniyeh, were to fire a bullet or a rocket at a soldier or an Israeli citizen, they would pay with their heads, like Nasrallah in Lebanon who is today hiding in a bunker. READ MORE
