"The operation tonight happened after I talked about targeted assassinations and bringing back [military] might. We have a stake in this operation [Operation Shield and Arrow] but I am not looking for credit. From now on I want offensive initiative," National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Tuesday during a security conference hosted by Israel Hayom.
Ben-Gvir added that Israel must "strive to engage and overcome the enemy."
The Otzma Yehudit Party ended its boycott of cabinet and Knesset activity, after the IDF assassinated a number of senior terrorists in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist movement in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning, declaring the launch of Operation Shield and Arrow, the party announced in a statement on Tuesday.
"Due to our position being accepted and the move from containment to attacking via targeted assassinations of senior Islamic Jihad [members], we will return to vote with the government. The hope is that the offensive continues over time," the party said.
Ben-Gvir announced the boycott last week after he was not included in a security situational assessment held in the wake of dozens of rockets shot from Gaza, and in response to was he claimed was an insufficient response by the IDF to the rockets.
Ben-Gvir praises Netanyahu's Gaza initiative
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Ben-Gvir put out a statement saying he "blessed the prime minister for taking the initiative in Gaza."
"This is a good start. It is time to change the policy in Gaza," Ben-Gvir added.
Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen, who last week set up a makeshift parliamentary office in the Gaza border town of Sderot in what he said was an act of solidarity, announced that he was returning to Jerusalem and ending his boycott on parliamentary activity.
Another Otzma Yehudit member, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, said on Army Radio before the party's official decision to end its boycott, that the targeted assassinations that launched the operation met the party's demands for a more forceful military response.
According to a statement circulated by "senior coalition members," which usually means either the prime minister himself or with his approval, "Israel's security moves have nothing to do in any way with steps by any party in the coalition, and are made only based on security and diplomatic considerations." The statement was likely intended to counter claims that the Otzma Yehudit political boycott influenced the decision.
Support for Gaza Op. across party lines
Party leaders across the aisle expressed their support for the operation.
Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party chairman, Bezalel Smotrich, said, "The citizens of Israel are in good hands and whoever attacks us must know that they will not be spared."
"A general plan for the Gaza Strip must be adopted. Life cannot be managed from escalation to escalation over and over again."
Avigdor Liberman
Opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid said, "The terror organizations in the [Gaza] Strip know this morning that the intelligence community and security forces follow every step they make, and settle the score with them. An aggressive Israeli response in a place and time that suits us is the way to face the terror from Gaza. We will support any operational activity intended to defend citizens of the South."
National Unity party chairman MK Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter, "I said last week and am saying now – our enemies made wrong assessments," adding that he hoped that the government will "continue to act with the necessary combination of determination and responsibility later on."
"Those who were wrong in their assessments paid a price, and whoever makes this mistake again will [continue to] pay [a price]," Gantz added later on Tuesday in a video statement.
As I stated last week, I say so again today - our enemies were mistaken in their assessment of Israel. I commend both the important action launched in Gaza yesterday night and the proactive security policy displayed in our efforts fighting terror. Israel’s security forces and…
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) May 9, 2023
"This is the message that needs to echo in Gaza, Beirut, Tehran and everywhere else where they plan to hurt us," he added.
After expressing support for the operation Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman called on Twitter for the government to "redirect the billions of funds intended for coalition partners and cronies, and budget the plan to fortify houses and infrastructure in the South and North."
"Specifically against the backdrop of the assassination of [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad leaders, the immunity that Netanyahu gives to the leaders of Hamas is stark," Liberman added. "The Jihad is a nuisance, while Hamas is a threat. Hamas is the one shooting at us not just from the South, but also from the North. The one who directs and initiates terror acts against Jews across the country, including in Judea and Samaria, is primarily Hamas."
"A general plan for the Gaza Strip must be adopted. Life cannot be managed from escalation to escalation over and over again," Liberman concluded.
Ra'am condemned the deaths of the civilians who died in the attack, which the party accused as being intended to "solve the coalition crises."