Israel will not hesitate to target senior Hamas leaders who orchestrate terror attacks against its citizens, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Saturday, hinting that the Islamic group’s sweeping victory in the Palestinian parliamentary election does not grant its leaders immunity from Israel’s military actions.
“He who heads a terror group and continues to carry out terror attacks against Israel will not be immune,” Mofaz told Channel 2 television when asked if Hamas leaders Ismail Hanieh and Mohammad Zahar are on Israel’s targeted killing list.
“If Hamas chooses terror and violence as it did before the ceasefire, it will come under an unprecedented attack. We will not allow the return of the violence witnessed in 2001-2002,” Mofaz told the broadcaster.
Mofaz defended Israel’s intelligence agencies who failed to forecast Hamas’s rise to power, saying the intelligence apparatus reported an unprecedented support for Hamas in the Palestinian territories yet could not confirm that the Islamic group will most beat rivals Fatah.
The defense minister related Hamas’s strong showing in the vote to the rise of fundamental Islamic leaders in Iran, the parliamentary achievement of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egyptian elections, and the reemergence of fundamental Islam in Syrian society.
Mofaz warned that the political turmoil within Fatah after the victory could lead to an escalation in violent attacks against settlers in the West Bank.
“Our policy is clear. We abide by the road map plan for peace. Mahmoud Abbas has to disarm terror groups and he also vowed to respect the road map. We will not hold talks with Hamas. We do not speak top terrorists,” Mofaz said.
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