Lieberman on Gazans' infiltration: 'Don't turn an operational hitch into a tragedy'
In interview with Ynet, defense minister says IDF is 'ready for any scenario' ahead of Hamas' planned mass protest on Gaza border, stressing that 'Anyone who violates Israeli sovereignty will be hurt'; he calls on Palestinians not to join the 'March of Return,' urging them to overthrow the Hamas regime; also calls for regional coalition against Iran, saying Hamas and Islamic Jihad 'won't last a week without Iran.'
Three Palestinians armed with knives and grenades entered Israel on Tuesday and were able to get 20 kilometers from the border before getting caught in the Tze'elim area.
"There have always been hitches and there will always be hitches," Lieberman told Ynet in an interview. "We learn the lessons immediately, and our goal is to allow a quiet, safe Passover for the entire people of Israel, and primarily to the Israelis living on the Gaza border."
Israel's security forces are preparing to face a large protest march Hamas is planning to mark 70 years to what Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" (catastrophe)—the creation of the State of Israel. The terror group has called on Gaza residents to march en masse toward the Israeli border and protest there starting this Friday, Land Day, and until May 15, Nakba Day.
"We're ready as we should be" for the so-called "March of Return," Lieberman assured. "I'm sure we'll allow the people of Israel to celebrate Passover in security and in peace."
The defense minister said security forces "will do everything" to make sure the protests on the Gaza border don't lead to escalation, "but you have to understand, the situation is not simple in Gaza. There's Hamas and there's (Islamic) Jihad. There are Salafists and all kinds of rebel jihadist organizations." Regardless, he stressed, "We're ready for any scenario."
He came out against "the headlines and self-flagellation" in the Israeli media in the run-up to the mass protests, saying it is "complete insanity."
"I very much trust the IDF chief, the GOC Southern Command and the commander of the Gaza Division. Can we completely prevent every hitch? No. Do we need to make it into a tragedy? No. And we don't need to be talking in terms of 'mass hysteria,'" Lieberman added.
The defense minister asserted that "there's no Palestinian from Gaza that arrives at the border to clash with the IDF willingly. They're all Hamas members or their families force them to go there. Just look at all the temptations Hamas puts in front of people to show up—transportation, free internet, bathrooms, tents. Next they'll have a rock concert there to make people come."
Lieberman also said the IDF has "made it clear to all business owners who are involved in the activity near the fence, including the owners of transportation companies, that anyone we identify as helping Hamas's effort will never be able to enter Israel, do business here, or anything else."
Lieberman said he was working to prevent a war on the Gaza border. "We can prevent a war only with significant and serious deterrence. Only by making the other side understand it's not worth it," he noted.
While Israel doesn't "want to cause fatalities on the other side, because that would be the fuel that would really bring the masses," troops were instructed "not to allow a violation of Israeli sovereignty, and we will make that clear during the day today and tomorrow," Lieberman said.
"We will try to keep them in the perimeter (the buffer zone), not let them get near the fence. Anyone who violates Israeli sovereignty—and damaging the fence is a violation of sovereignty—will be hurt. There are hundreds of snipers who will know how to identify the rioters and those who lead them, and we'll hurt them," he warned.
'Kick Hamas out'
The defense minister called on Palestinians in Gaza not to join the protest. "You know who's to blame for your abysmal situation. Try to change things from within," he said.
Hamas, Lieberman said, realized it was losing support on the Palestinian street and could lose power as a result, so the Gazan terror group is trying to direct the residents' anger towards Israel.
"The residents of Gaza understand they're being used, the residents of Gaza understand Hamas has failed. It failed in administration, it failed in reconciliation, it failed everything. It is isolated in the Arab world, no Sunni state supports it," Lieberman said.
"You won't see any (Hamas) leader or their families by the fence, only foot-soldiers," he charged.
Lieberman also called on the Palestinians in the strip to oust Hamas. "We expect the residents of Gaza to kick Hamas out. We don't plan on doing their job for them," Lieberman stressed.
"The reconciliation has failed. Hamas has no support—not from (Palestinian President) Abbas, not from the Arab world, and not from the international community. It is now in the hands of Gaza's residents. If they want to ensure their children's future, if they want jobs, if they want to freely travel all over the world—they must replace their regime," he went on to say.
'Hamas won't last a week without Iran'
The defense minister stressed, however, that Hamas is only "an organization that serves as a branch and a satellite. We need to deal with the source—the Iranians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad can't exist without Iranian support, just like Hezbollah can't exist without Iranian support."
"All of the arms, munitions, advisers and technology—it's all coming from Iran. Even the $260 million Hamas invested in 2017 in tunneling, in armament, in rocket manufacturing—most of it came from Iran. Hamas and Islamic Jihad wouldn't be able to last even one week without Iran," he asserted.
Lieberman called to establish a regional coalition against Iran, as well as cancel the nuclear agreement Tehran signed with world powers. "We need to go back to harsh sanctions against Iran and cancel the agreement," he said.
"All intelligence services in the world are aware of the fact Iran is violating the agreement and rushing to realize its nuclear program. It simply lied while negotiating," the defense minister claimed.
'Abbas is taking off his mask'
Lieberman was not surprised to learn Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was directly paying stipends to terrorists and their families. "Abbas has decided he's not hiding it anymore, he's taking off his mask," he said.
The defense minister noted he was still pushing for a bill proposal to deduct the terrorists' salaries from the tax money Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. "We were able to pass it in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation before the hiatus. It will be brought to the Knesset at the beginning of its summer session," he said, vowing it'll pass by the end of the summer session.
"Whether the finance minister wants it or not, it doesn't matter, we will pass it. If not as a government bill proposal, then as a private one," Lieberman continued, noting that "When the US Congress passes the Taylor Force Act to cut USAID funds to the PA over these terror stipends, we can't just watch from the sidelines."
'Almost obsessive chatter'
Lieberman came out against what he called "almost obsessive chatter" about Israel's attack on Syria's nuclear reactor in 2007, an operation the country only admitted to this month.
"There's an unhealthy trend here. We didn't authorize all of this chatter," he said. "When the Censor authorized the publication of (Israel's responsibility for) the attack, it was based on the fact there were already many publications (about it), including in George W. Bush's book, and in a big article in the New Yorker, and so on. But no one expected all of these former senior officials to start a war over credit, and start throwing around all kinds of operational details from that time."
He said a commission will be established after Passover to examine the matter and said legislation might be needed "to regulate the ability of senior defense officials after their retirement to speak freely and really pour out information that hurts security."
The defense minister also discussed his battle over budget allocations to increase security for the home front in northern Israel. "While fighting for the budget, we got NIS 150 million. With that, we can fill some holes, but it's not a real, extensive effort to strengthen the home front the way we want to," he said.
"We need NIS 5 billion over five years. That would bring the north to the same level as the south," Lieberman added.
