Steinitz: Exact price from Hamas without large-scale operation
Following a rocket attack on Be'er Sheva, energy minister says Hamas must be hit with 'a painful, but limited in scope, blow,' adding 'comprehensive war' might not be the right solution, since there is no long-term plan for either Gaza or West Bank; 'It's a game of blows and ceasefires.'
"The quiet can be restored by hitting Hamas with a painful blow,” Steinitz said in an interview with Ynet.
Steinitz, who is also a member of the Security Cabinet, said the government faces a dilemma when it comes to Gaza.
"There are two ways the quiet can be achieved—the first one is to strike Hamas with a limited-in-scope but very hard blow, and then try to reach a ceasefire arrangement later, and the second is a wide-scale war in Gaza. We are at a crossroads, and it can go either way," the energy minister explained, adding that he personally believes a comprehensive war in the strip is not the right solution.
Steinitz also accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of being indirectly responsible for the rocket fire on the Negev's capital.
"We know who initiated it—Abbas, he deliberately suffocates Gaza economically and exacerbates the humanitarian crisis by reducing supplies of water and withholding salaries," he vented.
"I still hope there will be a strong response, which will perhaps prompt the other side to respond as well … but without dragging us into a war or a wide-scale operation in the strip. We have no goal of taking over Gaza," he stressed.
"The prime minister is currently managing this campaign along with the defense minister and the army chiefs, and I have no doubt that he is doing it with great experience and forethought," Steinitz asserted.
The energy minister emphasized that he does not see long-term solutions in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank.
"What we are seeing is the futility of an agreement with the Palestinians. Following our disengagement from Gaza, they became the ruling force there. We cannot withdraw from the West Bank … because what happened in Gaza will also happen in Nablus and Ramallah. Unfortunately, there is no reliable partner here, it's a game of blows and ceasefires," Steinitz bemoaned.
He said he did not think that the intra-Palestinian reconciliation was possible at the moment, and he was not sure whether the issue is in Israel’s interests at all.
"It is not our job to return Gaza to Abbas, even though he is very interested in a flare-up which would result in a mortal blow to Hamas … In the past, I thought it would be beneficial but in light of Abbas’s conduct I'm not sure now this is the right direction," he concluded.
