Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, said during an interview with Israeli “Channel 14” News that the solution to the never-ending fighting in the Gaza Strip and the constant rockets coming from Hamas is to reoccupy the Gaza Strip while disarming it and handing it over to the Palestinian Authority.
"There is one solution for Hamas and Gaza, the demilitarization of the Strip and then the transfer of the Strip to the Palestinian Authority," said Minister Zohar, "There is no other solution, we all understand that. The question is what the right timing is, when we will do it, and whether we will do it in accordance with the dictates of Hamas, or not."
Zohar addressed the claims that the government's response to the latest round and the firing of dozens of rockets into Israeli territory in the past day was weak: "I sympathize with every word of the residents of Sderot. They should not be in a situation where every time Hamas decides they want to shoot rockets, it is possible."
Gaza City is ranked 529th most densely populated in the world. Far below Tel Aviv (193rd) and Jerusalem (349th). Israel isn’t “occupying” Gaza. Gaza has been Israeli free since 2005.
— Max✡️𓂆🤍⚣🍁 (@lilbuddymax) May 3, 2023
You fail to mention before Israel’s air strikes, Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched 105 rockets https://t.co/ngCQI4FZ41
However, Zohar added, "The enemy doesn't necessarily want them to know the extent of the damage the Israel Defense Forces have done. An example is Hezbollah, which hid the extent of the damage it recently suffered, just like Hamas, which suffered a difficult blow including a ‘terrorist tunnel’ with weapons depots, and other targets."
In addition, Zohar hinted that the government is planning more actions in Gaza: "As a member of the government, I assert that this is not a government which is going to be silent about terrorist incidents, and it is not a government that seeks to hold back. I would ask, if possible, for a little more patience, to wait and see if the government reacts in the way it should, and then after that, we can collectively reevaluate. The issues with Gaza are still open."
Ben Gvir slams Netanyahu for ‘weak’ response to Gaza rocket attacks, threatens to leave the government https://t.co/0PhylLiXfT
— All Israel News (@all_israel_news) May 3, 2023
On the claims that the previous government acted better against Hamas than the current government MK Zohar said that "the problem of the previous government was not its security conduct, but mainly that it relied on anti-Zionists like Ra'am and it included extreme left parties".
Zohar also referred to the ongoing tensions between Minister Ben Gvir and Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the response in Gaza and said that "Ben Gvir needs to understand one thing; he is an important part of the coalition, but the one who runs it is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
#WATCH: An Israeli family takes shelter as militants from #Gaza launch rockets towards southern #Israel. In response, the #IDF bombed targets, including #Hamas infrastructure, in the coastal enclave. pic.twitter.com/AzO8Bq41i4
— Statecraft (@statecraftdaily) May 3, 2023
"If this government falls, it will be a cry for generations," Zohar continued in the same matter, "the right will not return to power for many years and whoever brings about the fall of the government will forever be recorded as having the right sitting in the opposition for many years and Israel will probably degenerate into an abyss we never dreamed of."
