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A firefighter tries to extinguish a bushfire in an area where Palestinians cause flames by flying kites and balloons loaded with flammable materials on the Israeli side of the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. near kibbutz Nir Am, June 5, 2018.
(photo credit: AMIR COHEN / REUTERS)
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday pleaded for a military solution to the Gaza conflict, while a study shows that Palestinian arsonists have destroyed half of the forested land near the southern border. .
"It's time to make decisions. My position is very clear: we have to deal a blow to Hamas. This is the only way to bring the situation back to its previous state and bring the level of violence back to near zero, "Liberman said.
He spoke during a visit to the outskirts of Gaza to meet with senior army officers and before the security cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The defense minister was one of the most hawkish voices on the issue of continuing low-level violence in Gaza that began on March 30. It included Palestinian riots along the Gaza border, infiltrations into Israel and the launch of incendiary devices that burned thousands of people. hectares on the Israeli side of the border.
Netanyahu warns Hamas after the resurgence of the Gaza border on 14 October 2018 (Reuters)
The security cabinet did not, however, decide to launch a military operation.
Egypt is again trying to negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Liberman acknowledged that a military operation in Gaza was to take place after "a decision from the entire cabinet. Everyone understands that the current situation can not continue. We can not accept violence week after week, "he said.
"The Ministry of Defense has done everything possible to try to restore the situation in Gaza as it was before March 30," he said. "We have exhausted our options," added Liberman.
He said he became convinced of the need for a military strike after Hamas violently repressed Israel's humanitarian gesture last week. To alleviate the electricity crisis in Gaza, Israel facilitated the transfer to the Gaza Strip of a large cargo of Qatar-financed fuel for Gaza's only power station.
"The change happened last Friday. We allowed diesel tanks to enter Gaza. In return, we have been confronted with a type of violence that we have not seen for a long time, "said Liberman, adding," We have also seen [Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh said, "Diesel and wages will not stop the violence until the blockade is lifted."
Liberman said he accepted Hamas as an apparent value when he said the violence would end when Gaza's borders were completely open.
The absence of any inspection mechanism at the Gaza border would allow Iran to strengthen its influence on the Gaza Strip and facilitate a large influx of arms.
"It means Iranian weapons and Hezbollah fighters in Gaza," he said.
The terms of the ceasefire imposed by Hamas are unacceptable: it wants all the benefits, but does not want to demilitarize or renounce its goal of destroying Israel, said Liberman.
"The only formula in my opinion is reconstruction in exchange for disarmament. For the moment, we have to make decisions and I hope the cabinet will make the decisions. The only way is a blow that can, in my opinion, lead to five years of silence, "said Liberman.
On Tuesday, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsel Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) reported that 1,100 fires have been reported since April 10, the day that KKL-JNF workers reported Palestinian fires for the first time. .
The fires destroyed nearly 1,200 hectares of land near the Gaza Strip, more than half of the region's 2,100 hectares of forested land.
Early Tuesday, an IAF plane struck a launch station for incendiary balloons sent to Israel, one of five reported by local authorities for the day.
"This week, we are commemorating exactly the phenomenon of kite terrorism, which has caused more than 1,000 fires that have destroyed 12,000 dunams of the Western Negev forests," said Daniel Gigi, director of the southern KKL region. JNF, statement.
"Although the fire continues today, thanks to joint work with the Israeli National Parks and Natural Areas Protection Authority, community residents, volunteers and IDF, we are able to quickly control fires", the statement continues. "In the last six months, all the regional authorities have come together and together we have built a work model to fight fires when they are still small."
Since April, Palestinians have routinely sent incendiary devices – kites and balloons containing Molotov cocktails or inflamed clothing – across the border fence to set fire to Israeli territory. In recent weeks, a number of people have also been found in Jerusalem, who have been treated by the Israeli police.
Despite a lull in this gear towards the end of the summer, the amount sent to Israeli territory increased again in October.
Leftist organization B'Tselem said on Tuesday that since March 30, the IDF had killed at least 166 Palestinians along Israel's southern border – including 31 miners – and injured more than 5,300 people in real-life fire. .
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