Shaul Mofaz says Israel needs to end Hamas rule in Gaza, strive for real peace process
In recent days, the State of Israel has been under a murderous terror offensive. This reality of bombs and missiles at our cities is intolerable. We shall never reconcile ourselves to a reality where children are murdered while sleeping. We shall never reconcile ourselves to a reality where missiles, rockets and mortar shells are fired at our territory and threaten our citizens and children. We must not accept a reality where schools in Eshkol, Beersheba and Ashdod remain closed.
Our children in Jerusalem, Beersheba, Itamar and Gaza-region communities deserve the same level of security enjoyed by our children in Tel Aviv. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda cannot divide Israel along boundaries determined by missile ranges.
The continuation of this terror offensive must prompt us to undertake strategic action to end Hamas' rule in Gaza. This is not about directing meaningful fire at open spaces, and we must not only focus on the rocket launching cells.
We must carry out methodical, ceaseless operations against anyone affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Terror group members cannot be divided into operatives and a "back office." The lives of anyone associated with Hamas and terrorism must become an inseparable part of the equation involving attacks on Israeli communities.
Should the State of Israel fail to root out terror hotbeds in the Gaza Strip, terrorism will only grow. We must not allow Hamas to drag us into a war of attrition. We shall not be hostages in the hands of terror and we shall not let those who fire missiles determine our daily routine.
Israel has the means to curb this terror. This is what we did at the height of the suicide bombing wave in 2002. Under the lead of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, we struck the terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. The results of Operation Defensive Shield are apparent to this day. We have now reached the moment of decision in the Gaza Strip as well.
Time working against us
Since the early days of Zionism, the State of Israel has been facing three major theaters. The first one is the terror front, which hit us this week. This terror is brutal, unrestrained and lacks morality and humanity.
The second front is the international theater. There too we've been contending, for more than 100 years now, with arguments that undermine our very right to live and exist in this country. On this front, we are facing an unprecedented nadir.
In the past two years, the Israeli government has been prompting growing international isolation. It is a government that adheres to the notion of "sit and do nothing." Unequivocally, the diplomatic impasse facilitates international isolation and a difficult, painful confrontation. Our ability to contend with terror effectively is decreasing in the face of a deep de-legitimization process.
The third front is domestic, and here we see the conspicuous inability of our leaders over the years to take a decision on Israel's permanent borders. Here too, for more than two years now, the Netanyahu government has done nothing. Speeches are not enough and plans are insufficient. A government must execute, lead and make difficult decisions. Prime Minister Netanyahu is an utter failure in this respect. This failure is tying the defense establishment's hands in its war on terror.
Netanyahu's inaction is prominent, yet he is not alone. Past Israeli governments partly attempted to contend with these issues and failed. In the early 1990s, we saw the failure of the diplomatic process, because the terror infrastructure was not thoroughly addressed simultaneously. In recent years we are experiencing the opposite process - a war on terror that is not accompanied by a diplomatic horizon. These two processes are destined to fail if they are not integrated.
The time has come to show responsibility and say in a clear voice that only a combination of an uncompromising war on terror alongside the start of a genuine diplomatic process will ensure our existence as a Jewish democratic state. On one hand, we must strike the terror groups that wish to exterminate us and fight them mercilessly, without hypocrisy or doublespeak.
On the other hand, we must raise the banner of peace, embark on a diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority and with the Syrians, and secure Israel's final-status borders once and for all. The need to take such action is growing in the face of the current Mideastern earthquake.
The Netanyahu government lacks the will, intention and political ability to take us there. Time is working against us, and our security and diplomatic situation is worsening every day.
Enough of this; the time has come to take action. This is the only way to secure our nation.
Knesset Member Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) is the chairman of the Knesset's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee
source :
http://www.ynetnews.com
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