Bennett slams Liberman: ‘Gazan persuasion’ is hollow and dangerous
Education Minister and Political Security Cabinet member Naftali Bennett released a statement in response to MK Avigdor Liberman's 'Gazan persuasion' idea on Thursday evening.
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERIUpdated: AUGUST 16, 2018 21:22Education Minister Naftali Bennett(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Education Minister and Political Security Cabinet member Naftali Bennett released a Thursday evening in response to Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's assertation Gazans should take initiative to overthrow Hamas.“The idea that Israel can persuade the Gazan public to replace the Hamas government is imaginary,” Bennett said. “Did Liberman ask himself how many years it would take to bring down Hamas by means of persuasion?”“Convincing will not destroy Hamas,” Bennett continued. “The Israel-Hamas agreement… would enable Hamas to accelerate production of rockets. If we do not stop this, Israeli residents will suffer from a barrage of rockets on population centers in the near future.”A message was released in response by Liberman's party Israel Beiteinu stating that “since Bennett has been absent from cabinet meetings on the Gaza issue, he is not familiar with the details.” They claim that Bennett “supports a bi-national state and the occupation of Gaza.”Chairman of the political party the Zionist Union Avi Gabbay stated that "in choosing between an agreement and an unnecessary operation, we are in favor of the agreement.""This does not contradict the fact that since Operation Protective Edge, Netanyahu and Liberman have strengthened Hamas and Abu Mazen (Abbas)," Gabai pointed out. "It does not contradict the fact that they reached an agreement after firing and not before. It does not contradict the fact that they are negotiating with Hamas and lying to the people."
