ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER REBUKES NETANYAHU CALLS PM OUT FOR “DAY-AFTER” PLAN IN GAZA
May 18, 2024Divisions within Israel’s war cabinet over the lack of post-war plans for the Gaza Strip have erupted in a rare public row, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying the country should not be involved in ruling the besieged and bombarded territory once the fighting ends.
Gallant said he was opposed to the Israeli military control or taking responsibility for the governance of Gaza.
“I must reiterate … I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Israel must not establish civilian rule in Gaza,” he told a news conference.
Since the current conflict started in October, Gallant said he had been “raising this issue consistently in the cabinet, and have received no response,” rebuking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling on him to “make a decision”.
Netanyahu, who has indicated Israel intends to maintain open-ended control over security affairs in the enclave, responded to Gallant’s call saying he was not “prepared to exchange Hamastan for Fatahstan”. He has previously said that talking about the “day after” war was a moot point because the conflict would not end until the complete defeat of Hamas, the group that has been running Gaza since 2007.
Benny Gantz, another war cabinet member, came out in support of Gallant, saying he spoke the truth and that it was the leadership’s responsibility to do the right thing for the country at all costs.
“This is all really showing deepening divisions among members of the war cabinet at a very critical time,” said Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Amman, Jordan, following an Israeli ban on the network.
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English Script:
Yoav Gallant: I repeat and make it clear: I will not agree to establish an Israeli military administration in Gaza. Israel must not have civilian control over the Gaza Strip. I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not have civilian rule over the Gaza Strip, that there will be no Israeli military administration in the Gaza strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza strip will be promoted immediately. For the sake of the country’s future, we must make difficult decisions by prioritising the national consideration over any other consideration, even if this involves personal or political costs. The end of the military campaign lies in the political move. The day after Hamas will only be achieved by giving control to Palestinian elements, with international support, to form a governmental alternative to Hamas. This is above all an Israeli interest. Unfortunately, the plan was not brought up for discussion, and worse, no other alternative was brought up for discussion. No decision is a decision.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Giving them a state would do two things: one, it would be a tremendous reward, historic precedent of giving those people who committed the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust on a single day, giving them a prize, and second, it would be a state that would be immediately taken over by Hamas and Iran, and it wouldn’t use, it wouldn’t advance the purposes of peace.
