Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman has been warning about the Hamas threat for two decades. The former defense minister sat down with The Jerusalem Post at his office in the Knesset this week to discuss what Israel should do in Gaza, a month after the October 7 massacre that started it all.
“It was clear to me that such a radical religious jihadist movement is a real threat for our future and existence, and in our 2009 coalition agreement, at our insistence, one of the main clauses was to eliminate Hamas rule in Gaza,” he said.
In 2016, as defense minister, Liberman prepared a document that predicted a large-scale Hamas attack. His conclusion then was the “opposite from our whole military establishment, despite their experience and professionalism.
“After I joined the Netanyahu-led government in that May, already in December I had handed him a paper that I wrote with my advisers, describing the scenario that we saw on October 7, 2023. I also gave it to then-IDF chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot and then to the cabinet.”
Liberman stuck by his warnings. In 2018, he resigned because the government accepted a ceasefire with Hamas to transfer money from Qatar to Gaza. Liberman characterized it as “capitulation” to terrorism.
Liberman: no deals with Hamas
He now wants to see Israel make some crucial decisions about Gaza: No more crossings and no more supplying. But first of all, Hamas leaders need to be eliminated, and those who are abroad remain legitimate targets.
“We will never accept that Saleh Arouri will operate from Beirut,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where they are living today. They are legitimate targets.”
Liberman also thinks hostages should be released by force, no deals should be struck with Hamas, and Israel should have the freedom to operate in Gaza and a buffer zone along the border after Hamas is defeated.
Israel will be changed by this war, he said, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be held accountable.
The full interview will be published in tomorrow’s paper.
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