(Times of Israel) Judah Ari Gross - Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told leaders of Israeli communities near Gaza on Tuesday that Israel will not be changing its policies toward Palestinians rioting along the Gaza security fence. "We have set clear rules of the game and we do not intend to change them. Anyone who approaches the fence endangers his life, and I would recommend that Gaza residents put their efforts not into protesting against Israel, but into regime change within the Strip. I think the [Israel Defense Forces] operated exceptionally well, as expected, and I have no doubt that we will continue to act in the same way in the days to come." "It needs to be understood that the majority of the people killed were terrorists whom we know well, operatives in the military arm of Hamas, as well as in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These weren't innocent civilians who came as part of a civil protest." The IDF on Saturday named and detailed 10 of the dead as members of terror groups including Hamas. Islamic Jihad later claimed an 11th. "We are not looking for war, no one wants a war," he said. "I hope the other side understands that it's preferable to focus on tourism, the economy, and agriculture, and not on tunneling, rockets, and hating Israel. As soon as the leadership in Gaza and Gaza residents give up on the idea of destroying the State of Israel, the moment the leadership focuses on the economy, they will not find a better, more efficient partner than the State of Israel....Reconstruction in exchange for disarmament - that's the formula, it's on the table."
2018-04-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive