It Might Be Time For New Leadership In Israel. Netanyahu Is Being Too Meek.Response Has To Be Strong And Overpowering.

Calls to Take Back Gaza Cause Split in Government

By Lea Speyer July 16, 2014 , 12:25 pm

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“Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.” (Proverbs 12:17)

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Photo: Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman slammed Israeli ministers for approving a unilateral Egyptian brokered cease-fire on Tuesday.

Liberman called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the situation and not asserting Israel’s strength further to end the rocket fire from terrorists in Gaza once and for all.

“A cease-fire is mere preparation for the next round of violence,” Liberman stated as the cease-fire was fizzling out.

Israel, who agreed to stop military campaigns in Gaza as of 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, restarted operations after a six hour pause where terrorists in the Strip shot over 50 rockets into Israel. Upon the announcement of the cease-fire, Hamas and other terrorist groups operating out of Gaza announced that they would never surrender to the “Zionist enemy.”

“Given Hamas’s blatant rejection, we must make a clear decision. All this hesitation works against us. We must go all the way. There is no alternative,” the foreign minister said.

Liberman argued that Israel must launch a full scale invasion into Gaza with the end result of “kicking Hamas out of Gaza.”

“An end result to the operation would see the IDF control Gaza,” Liberman declared.

While not directly mentioning the prime minister, Liberman is clearly taking a much different stance than that of Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s policies have been thus far deemed cautious by many observers and analysts of Operation Protective Edge.

Liberman noted that when Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, Israel did what the world pressured it to do. Returning to pre-1967 lines, Gaza was originally handed over to the Palestinian Authority and eventually into the hands of Hamas. He called on the international community to support Israel in rooting out terror in Gaza.

“We pulled out all the settlers; we evacuated all the settlements. We have to say to the world, you pressed us to do this. Now you have to back us in going in all the way…We have to end this conflict with the IDF in control of all of Gaza…There is no other way to tackle the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror which rules Gaza,” Liberman asserted.

Last Monday, Liberman ended his parties (Yisrael Beiteinu) allegiance with Netanyahu’s Likud citing a difference of opinion on Israel’s response to ongoing rocket fire. Liberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett were the only two cabinet members to vote against the cease-fire proposal.

Bennett said that Israel’s decision to agree to the cease-fire “shows the government weakness.” He added that any time Israel lays down its arms in defense, it is “good for Hamas and bad for Israel…and create a bigger campaign against the south of the country and more rocket attacks in another year.”

MK Eli Yishai (Shas) said the government is not fulfilling its duty of protecting its citizens. “We would have the obligation and the ability to destroy Hamas infrastructure and in turn bring Gaza decades backwards,” he stated.

Communications Minister Gilad Erdan echoed Liberman’s calls to take back Gaza. He stated that Hamas’s rejection of a cease-fire “unveiled to the world that Hamas has only one purpose, and that is to kill as many Israelis as possible.”

Iron Dome fires in Israel’s southern region. (Photo: IDF)

“Israel must now crush the Hamas infrastructure and we must not stop until the job is completed, until the shooting at Israeli citizens will be stopped completely and Gaza is demilitarized from both rockets and tunnels,” he said.

With all the criticism piling up against the government by officials, Netanyahu has responded by firing Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon on Tuesday for his public criticism of the government’s handling of Operation Protective Edge.

“While the government of Israel and the IDF are in the throes of a military campaign against terror groups, and are taking determined steps to defend the security of Israel’s citizens, it is inconceivable that a deputy defense minister should sharply attack the heads of the state who are leading the fighting,” Netanyahu stated in a letter to cabinet ministers on Wednesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Danon called the cease-fire a “slap in the face” for Israeli citizens.

“Hamas is once again setting conditions for us. We must not be humiliated. We must correct the mistake of the cabinet decision from this morning to accept the cease-fire and allow the army to do what it must,” he stated.

Netanyahu accused Danon of giving Hamas further “tools to bash the government of Israel” and that Danon’s comments “reflect a comprehensive irresponsibility, especially considering the post he holds.”

“In light of these statements, which express a lack of faith in the government and in the person standing at its head on a personal level, one would expect the deputy defense minister to take responsibility and resign,” Netanyahu stated. “Since he has not done so of his own volition, I have decided to remove him from his position, pursuant to the authority granted to me by Article 26(3) of the Basic Law: The Government.”

Danny Danon (Photo: Sasson Tiram)

After news of his firing became public, Danon issued a fierce statement against the prime minister.

“The prime minister doesn’t accept that there are other views in his party. Netanyahu has already ingratiated himself to Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] by releasing 78 terrorists just so he could sit at the negotiating table, didn’t respond to the murder of the three youths Gil-ad Shaar, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrach, and this morning agreed to a ceasefire that was very bad for Israel,” he said.

“What values will he surrender next time!?” the statement read. “I did not agree, and won’t agree, to this spirit of leftist feebleness by the prime minister, and I won’t sell out my ideology for an office and a driver.”

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the firing of Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon is “a victory for the resistance.” Barhoum attributed Danon’s dismissal to the terror organizations ability to undermine the Israeli government and  “reflects the depth of the crisis the resistance inflicted on the occupation.”

As of Wednesday, terrorists in the Gaza Strip have fired more than 1,000 rockets and mortars into Israel. Israel has carried out some 1,500 airstrikes against terror targets in Gaza. More than 1,750 terror targets have been destroyed.

204 people residing in Palestinian territory in Gaza have been killed in Operation Protective Edge and some 1,500 wounded. Four Israelis have been seriously injured in rocket strikes and one Israeli killed.

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/18339/calls-take-back-gaza-cause-split-government/#IBEocGtZ4cu6U7EP.99

Hamas Does Not Want Peace, They Proved It Today By Not Agreeing To The Egyptian Cease Fire Proposal.. Until Israel Uproots Every Last Hamas Operative, No More Cease Fires!

Hamas Rejects Cease-Fire with Israel

By Lea Speyer July 15, 2014 , 10:29 am

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“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

The Iron Dome Missile Defense battery near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, July 14, 2014. Operation Protective Edge has entered its 6th day with about 1470 IDF attacks on targets in Gaza and 980 rockets fired at Israel from Gaza and about 200 of them intercepted by the Iron Dome so far. (Photo: Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Update 3:20 p.m. Israel time: The cease-fire has been terminated after relentless rocket attacks on Israel by terrorists in Gaza. Red Alert sirens sounded across the state as more than 50 rockets have been shot into Israel since 9 a.m. this morning. The Israeli Air Force has resumed operations in the Gaza Strip and has struck several terror targets in the area on the command of the Israeli prime minister.

Israel’s Security Cabinet agreed to an Egyptian brokered cease-fire with Hamas Tuesday morning. The cease-fire began at 9:00 a.m. in Israel.

“The cabinet has decided to accept the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire starting 9am today,” Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Twitter.

The decision to agree to the cease-fire came as a surprise to many governmental leaders and political analysts. Hamas previously announced that it would never agree to any cease-fire with Israel, viewing it as surrender. Indeed, Hamas’s armed wing announced shortly after the cabinet’s decision that it would not adhere to the cease-fire.

On Monday night, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the terror organization would never agree to any agreement that does not “meet the demands of the Palestinian people.”

“Today we are facing an important stage in the conflict with the Israeli occupation. Years of a blockade did not prevent our resistance from taking all possible measures to protect the Palestinian people,” he stated.

“The Zionist enemy forced the war on us and planned it. Today we are fulfilling our duty to protect out people and our honor,” Haniyeh declared.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told AP following the cabinet’s decision that “this proposal is not acceptable.”

About one hour after Israel announced it had agreed to the cease-fire, Red Alert sirens sounded in Israel’s south as a rocket was fired towards the coastal city of Ashkelon. Rockets continue to be fired upon numerous cities throughout Israel, including areas in the center and north.

At noon on Tuesday, following the cease-fire announcement, Netanyahu issued his first public statement on the matter. The prime minister made clear that Israel is willing to pursue a peaceful end to the violence. However, if Hamas continues to fire upon Israel, Israel will expand its operations in Gaza exponentially.

“Israel has accepted the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, a goal that was and remains putting an end to rocket fire from Gaza on our cities, providing the citizens of Israel with the peace and quiet to which they are entitled. I know that you know that no country would sit idly by while its civilian population is subjected to terrorist rocket fire. Israel is no exception,” Netanyahu stated. “If Hamas rejects the Egyptian proposal, and the rocket fire from Gaza does not cease, and that appears to be the case now, we are prepared to continue and intensify our operation to protect our people. For this we have kept full support from the responsible members of the international community.”

In Israel, several ministers have slammed the cease-fire, viewing it as giving in to Hamas.

“We were willing to pay a heavy price to complete the most significant achievements yet against Hamas,” Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon stated. “There is no cosmetic facelift to a mistake like this.”

“A cease-fire is a slap in the face for the Israeli people,” he added.

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz stated before the vote that he is “against a cease-fire.”

“Under the circumstances, we can do a lot better. We have not removed the threat of rocket fire completely, and we have no eliminated the Hamas elite,” Katz stated. “If we were successful, the world would give us a standing ovation.”

Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said the cease-fire was “good for Hamas and bad for Israel…A cease-fire at the present time shows the government’s weakness.”

“A cease-fire will now create a bigger campaign against the south of the country and more rocket attacks in another year,” Bennett stated.

The Israeli Navy fires cannons to the Gaza Strip during IDF’s military Operation Protective Edge, July 8, 2014. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson/Flash90)

MK Eli Yishai (Shas) called out the cabinet’s decision which he said violates the government’s decision to protect its citizens.

“The Israeli government has a commitment to the security of Israeli citizens, and the cease-fire vehemently violates that commitment,” he said. “We would have the obligation and the ability to destroy Hamas infrastructure and in turn bring Gaza decades backwards, and a cease-fire at the current time is not only a slap in the face of Israeli citizens but will only be a short break before the rocket fire resumes.”

Israel is expected to send a representative to Cairo in the next 48 hours to discuss the details of the agreement. According to Egyptian media, which published terms of the proposal, Israel has agreed to stop all land, air and seas operations against Gaza.

Terror groups operating in the Strip are expected to stop all hostilities against Israel and its citizens, including land, sea, air and underground attacks. Israel is expected to reopen border crossing to allow people and goods to move freely in and out of Gaza. The agreement does not stipulate which border crossings are to be reopened.

The cease-fire must be implemented within 12 hours and is based on the 2012 cease-fire agreement following Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012.

Since the start of Operation Protective Edge, the IDF has struck over 1,500 terror targets in the Gaza Strip and killed more than 100 terrorists operating in the region. Hamas has fired approximately 1,081 rockets on Israel. 845 of those rockets landed in open territory in Israel and 191 were intercepted by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System.