Chikli to ‘Post’: Israel cannot retreat from Philadelphi corridor, even if temporarily- exclusive
Israel cannot agree as part of a hostage deal to retreat from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, even if only for a temporary period, Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said in a comprehensive interview with the Jerusalem Post in Jerusalem on Monday.
While Chikli acknowledged that there is “no larger commandment than freeing hostages,” he said that it was the government’s duty, “in light of what we saw in [hostage] deals in the past,” not to lead to an outcome that endangers Israeli security.
An Israeli retreat from the Philadelphi Corridor is still a bone of contention between Israel and Hamas, and Chikli stressed the importance of retaining Israeli control of the corridor, which he called Hamas’s “lifeline.” He said that the IDF has found dozens of tunnels large enough for vehicles to pass and dozens more smaller tunnels.
“If we leave the Philadelphi Corridor, even temporarily, it means that lethal weaponry will immediately enter [Gaza], which will enable Hamas to recuperate [and] reorganize,” Chikli said. Hamas is at a “breaking point,” and in the current situation, Israel cannot enable Hamas to revive itself, and doing so would be “terrible.”
Asked whether he would resign if the prime minister agreed to a retreat from the corridor, Chikli said that “the prime minister is very sharp on this issue, and our positions are very close.” Netanyahu has “stood strong” so far against pressures on this matter and has shown earlier in the war that he would not cave to pressure easily, such as in his decision to invade Rafah in May despite heavy pressure, Chikli added.
Asked who should rule Gaza once Hamas is toppled, Chikli began by saying that this could take years, since Hamas still had governing power in the Strip. He added that he did not believe Israel should rule Gaza’s residents in the long run, and that countries with “moderate orientations,” such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the EU, and the US, should eventually be allowed in to begin rehabilitation processes.
The Palestinian Authority was not an option to rule Gaza either, Chikli said, since the PA conducted “methodical and extremist” incitement; senior PA officials who justified the October 7 massacre; widespread support for Hamas in the West Bank; the “pay for slay” which provides payment to incarcerated Palestinians who committed acts of terror; and more.
Antisemitism control center aims to coordinate global efforts to combat hate
Chikli recently inaugurated an “antisemitism control center,” whose goal is to coordinate all of the government’s different efforts to combat antisemitism worldwide, including in the foreign ministry, Jewish agency, and others. The control center uses advanced technology to monitor social media, in order to compile a weekly report that includes information on BDS efforts, pro-Palestinian protests and activity, central antisemitic incidents worldwide, online anti-Israel campaigns, and more. In addition, the control center has the capacity to identify immediate threats against Jewish communities abroad and provide the information to relevant bodies.
Chikli’s ministry has been accused recently of conducting “influence operations” to sway public opinion, mostly in the US, in favor of Israel. One report claimed that companies hired by the ministry had targeted members of the democratic party who were critical of Israel. Another said that the ministry had considered hiring a civilian spy company to monitor pro-Palestinian protest leaders on US campuses.
Chikli shrugged off the claims, saying that most of them were either “completely fake, such as the report on the democratic congressmen, or “three-quarters false.” He admitted that his ministry has worked since the war began with over 100 companies that “are active in the field of hasbara [pro-Israel advocacy].” This activity was “very important in the struggle against organizations which in some cases are connected to terror,” against which the usage of the technology was “more liberal,” Chikli said with a smile. He refused to elaborate.
Since taking office, Chikli has participated in several conferences and events involving right-wing and far-right figures in several countries. These include a conference in May hosted by the Spanish Vox party and a meeting with its leader, Santiago Abascal; a NatCon (National Conservatism) conference in Brussels; a CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Hungary and a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; a meeting with the head of the British Brexit party, Nigel Farage; a meeting with the National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen; and more.
Chikli explained that European countries today are facing similar challenges that Israel is facing, and they share an ideological base with Israel’s Likud party. The problems include radical Islamic ideology and a culture of “political correctness and progressive thinking that paralyzes and neutralizes the ability of nation states to protect themselves.”
“This combination of paralysis, that comes from the radical left, of nation-states’ self-defense mechanisms, and the assault by extreme Islam, places the nation-states of Europe, and the conservative forces that support the idea of the nation-state, in very significant danger,” Chikli said.
In Israel, this applied to the judicial system, which Chikli said had a “broken and crushed value system.” This was exemplified by its decision to investigate inciting comments by famous singers before prosecuting Hamas terrorists or by its constant discussions about the “menus” of prisoners, Chikli said, which represented a “trend of extreme left-wing political correctness” that had “significant hold on positions of power.”
Left-wing parties across the globe have been cooperating with each other for decades, and right-wing parties have recently “discovered the patent” of joining forces, Chikli said. This was most apparent in the results of the recent elections in the European Parliament, where the right-wing alliance ran as the Patriots for Europe party, which became the third-largest party. If Israel was part of the EU, the Likud would have been part of this party, Chikli said. The alliance also had practical implications, including oversight over the Palestinian Authority, oversight over foreign intervention in Israel by pro-Palestinian NGOs, and more.
Some of these parties have had connections to far-right figures who flirted with antisemitic tropes or even expressed outright antisemitism, including parties historically connected to fascist movements. Asked whether he was blind to antisemitism from the far-right and not just from Islamist or far-left elements, Chikli said that there was a clear line that he did not cross.
Chikli gave as an example the fact that Le Pen had spoken out against a statement by a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany party that “not everyone who was in the SS was a criminal.” In addition, Chikli said that he had not cooperated with a Flemish party that could not guarantee that it would not act against kashrut (Jewish dietary laws).
Chikli was criticized for meeting with Le Pen, who Israeli ministers have traditionally avoided, but said that he believed that the “boycott” of her was “not justified.” Chikli suggested looking at the “cold facts,” which were that following the October 7 massacre, she stood by the Jewish community and marched alongside it; condemned the International Criminal Court prosecutor for “equating Netanyahu and Sinwar” by requesting an arrest warrant for both; and had no intention to act against Kashrut.
Chikli also discussed the US election. He argued that Trump’s presidency had been more beneficial to Israel than Biden’s presidency up to this point. He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for avoiding Netanyahu’s speech in Congress in July. His comments on the US election were laid out in a previous article.
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