Military Intelligence chief: Deterioration in Gaza endangers Israel
Herzl Halevi says conditions in Gaza may cause an explosion of violence against Israel, while Hamas warns that such an explosion is inevitable unless exit route is created.
Hamas members warned on Wednesday that a change in the situation in Gaza is inevitable in the shape of either an explosion of violence or the opening of a new exit route, while Israel's head of Military Intelligence warned that deteriorating conditions in Gaza endanger Israel's security.
At a closed meeting with the members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Military Intelligence Chief Herzl Halevi said that "the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating, and if it explodes, it will explode on Israel."
Hamas, for its part, said a seaport is a legitimate Palestinian right, said Hamas. Building a seaport in Gaza is also a Turkish condition in ongoing negotiations to rehabilitate its relationship with Israel, which collapsed following the Marmara raid in 2010. The Turks have made it clear that reconciliation would have to involve free access to the Gaza Strip in order to provide aid to the Palestinians.
Halevi also stated that "the Palestinians are doing everything they can in order to press Israel unilaterally and internationally – through the UN Security Council and the French initiative – to impose a political solution upon Israel."
In the first report, General Halevi stated before the committee that he agrees with the UN assessment that the Gaza Strip will be uninhabitable by 2020 if the humanitarian situation doesn't improve. He warned that the rehabilitation of the strip is going too slowly, and that one of the most important causes of the dire situation there.
He added that the Palestinians in the West Bank view themselves to be in good economic shape, especially in comparison to the situation of their Arab neighbors. Yet, they look to Israel and yearn for an even better economy. More than this, they want a country, and they will not be satisfied with economic improvement only.
However, Halevi highlighted that Hamas isn't interested in a war with Israel at this time – in fact, the situation is the opposite. He argued that Hamas is working to restrain the other groups in Gaza, and noted that the terror group has prevented other terror groups from firing rockets, even after incidents on the border fence where Palestinians get killed.
Knesset Member Merav Michaeli, who is a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said in response to General Halevi's statements that "the Head of Military Intelligence basically said the same thing that we have been hearing from all of the security chiefs for years – without a political solution, the danger of terror increases. This isn't a political opinion; it is a professional stance which is based on reality. The fact that Netanyahu and his ministers don’t like the reality doesn't give him the authority to lash out at the heads of the IDF and the security establishment."
Knesset Member Issawi Frej (Meretz) said that "the Head of Military Intelligence has is trying to pull the heads of the cabinet members out of the sand. They are hiding like ostriches in order to keep from dealing with the truth. His starting statement was that Palestinian youths are committing terror attacks because they have nothing left to lose, and stated that without a political process, the scope of terror will widen."
MK Frej continued, "When he spoke of the dangerous consequences of the poverty in Gaza, Halevi was one of the only people who spoke the truth. Instead of ignoring or shooting the messenger, it is worth it for the Prime Minister and his cabinet to internalize that the truth won't change if they ignore the facts. As long as Israel continues to refuse dialogue and continues to make Gazan lives difficult, the violence directed at Israel will only increase."
