'Israel must be decisive'

Opposition Chairman Netanyahu tells local press in southern Israel ‘government's blindness’ to blame for Israel's inability to curtail incessant Qassam barrages

Tova Dadon |Published: 04.30.08 , 17:51

“There will be no choice but to overthrow Hamas. They are essentially Iranian offshoots sitting within us. It’s intolerable that Israel allows its cities to be fired upon; we must move from a war of attrition to a war of decisivness,” said Opposition Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in a meeting with local journalists in Netivot as he addressed Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza.

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Netanyahu asserted that less than 500 Qassams were fired towards Israel prior to the disengagement in 2005, whereas since the pullout there have been over 4,000 rockets.

“This is a result of the government's blindness and erroneous political decisions, which led to the strengthening of the Hizbullah in the North,” added Netanyah.

Netanyahu also criticized Israel's conduct during the Second Lebanon War, saying that the forces were scattered and that therefore the outcome of the campaign was not as expected.

“Both the Arab world and the West expected focus - and for us to prevail, but it has become apparent that Israel failed to defeat Hizbullah because our efforts were not focused.”

Netanyahu also discussed the situation in southern Israel, saying that there was no room in so small a nation for any part to be disregarded as simply 'the periphery.'

"We will make sure this happens and it will prove beneficiary to the Negev and its underprivileged residents in particular.”

Netanyahu confirmed the Likud has decided to conserve its funds for a time of national elections rather than the upcoming municipal ones, saying he prefers one more Knesset member to one more councilmember in any given community.