Liberman: Israel should topple Hamas, not reoccupy Gaza

Foreign minister calls the Gaza cease-fire signed last week "a really bad choice" for Israel.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman stressed on Sunday that Israel should topple Hamas in the Gaza Strip and pave the way for a moderate leadership to take the reigns in the Palestinian enclave.
Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, the right-wing minister reiterated his criticism of the intermediate cease-fire that took effect last week after seven weeks of fighting between the IDF and terrorist entities in Gaza, calling the truce "a really bad choice for the State of Israel."
In contrast to previous statements, Liberman stated that he did not want Israel to take over the Gaza Strip as it had before the disengagement, instead he urged the government to seek a sustainable solution to the conflict.
Liberman warned against a Hamas-run Gaza, saying that the Palestinian organization was no different than the other Islamic terrorist groups threatening the region, including the Islamic State and al-Qaida.
He pointed to the threat Hamas poses to Israel, pointing to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's latest speech given following the implementation of the cease-fire. Liberman said, "Haniyeh's last speech clarified their [Hamas'] position... to wipe out the State of Israel."
"I don't know any other country that would accept the reality of thousands of rockets being fired at its citizens," Liberman said in reference to the more than 4,000 projectile launched from Gaza toward Israel during Operation Protective Edge.