The Israeli army’s attack on the Gaza Strip is intensifying with each passing hour, and while it is trying to open humanitarian corridors to Egypt on the Palestinian front, a siege is being prepared on the opposite side. Israel’s Ambassador to Italy, Alon Bar, explains the reasons for the Jewish State.
Israel has appointed a national emergency government and is preparing for a long war. Netanyahu said that the operation in Gaza will be an “unprecedented” operation: In short, should we expect a conflict that will last for months?
“I don’t know how long the conflict will last, but it could take a long time. We are not in a normal situation, we declared a state of war, we established a state of emergency government. How long will it last? I don’t know.” I don’t know: it depends on a lot of things. What I can say is that we will never return to the situation we had a week ago, where Hamas could freely prepare further attacks against Israeli civilians from Gaza. This is completely unacceptable from our perspective and therefore we must implement all necessary measures to ensure that this does not happen again. And it will take time, I don’t know exactly how long.”
Some rockets fired from southern Lebanon landed on the northern border. Israel responded with bombs. Biden warned Iran. Is there a risk that the conflict will escalate?
“Yes, there is a serious risk that the conflict will escalate. In addition to the missiles, a group of terrorists also attempted to cross the border, but they were stopped by the army. There is a risk that Hezbollah, a Shiite organization, will enter the region. The possibility of it taking part in the conflict in Syria is very serious “There are groups, led by Hamas, that are pushing for the conflict to become regional, so we cannot a priori rule out that happening. We really appreciated the message sent by American President Joe Biden. We also appreciated the phone call between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Lebanese Prime Minister. “We find it important, but we are afraid that all this will not be enough to prevent new attacks against Israel. Bloodshed on other fronts is not what we want, but if we have to respond, as in the case of Gaza, we will. We cannot allow Israeli citizens to be attacked without the intervention of the army.”
There are many concerns about the hostages held by Hamas, three of whom are Italian. Do you have new information?
“Not yet; we are collecting all the information on the identities of the hostages. We have some news about the three Italians kidnapped by Hamas, but there is still a lot of confusion. Securing the release of the hostages is our priority. Our hope is that Hamas will respect international law and at least protect the children, women and to show minimal humaneness by releasing the elderly; unfortunately, this has not yet happened.”
The Italian Parliament voted on four resolutions condemning Hamas, but divided opinion and a vote on a single text was not possible. What are you thinking?
“We would certainly have been happier if a single resolution had been approved, but we were relieved that the majority of members of Parliament voted in favor of the text, which, in addition to strongly condemning Hamas, pledged to refrain from any economic support to the Government.” “It could come from Italy and fall into the hands of a terrorist organisation: we think this is a very important message and we are pleased that even representatives of parties that do not support the current Government agree on this point.”
Israel announced that Gaza would be deprived of electricity, water and oil until Hamas releases the hostages. Isn’t it a mistake to blame the terrorist organization on civilians once again? There is a risk of an unprecedented humanitarian emergency in Gaza.
“We understand that risk and we’re trying to avoid that situation, but the fact that Hamas is using the people of Gaza as human shields makes it very, very difficult for us to differentiate right now. We have to be able to put pressure on Hamas.” : Israel’s first reaction to the devastating attack that started from Gaza was to close the border, but do not forget that this strip also borders Egypt and therefore both materials and humanitarian aid can come from there. And for the suffering inflicted on Gaza and therefore on the people: They should not have left Gaza to kill Israeli citizens. We tried to defend ourselves by limiting civilian casualties as much as possible, but it is difficult to find the Hamas militia because they hide among the people: an unpleasant situation, but by preventing casualties even among Gazans It is impossible to defend ourselves. And then it is necessary to make a distinction: Hamas enters Israel to kill as many civilians as possible (among them people dancing at the party, women, the elderly and children), and Israel needs to counterattack, which, unfortunately, among civilians “It can also lead to death.”
If politics unanimously condemns Hamas, Italian public opinion is even more divided. There are also figures from the cultural world, such as Moni Ovadia, who accuse the Israeli government of locking Palestinians in an “open-air prison”, effectively doing a favor to terrorists who have found fertile ground. by increasing consensus among the public.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that has never considered coexistence between Palestinians and the State of Israel: it has always said that the State of Israel must be destroyed and has shown that its only interest is to kill as many Israelis as possible. It will promote coexistence between Israelis and the people of Gaza We tried to find solutions: We abandoned the Strip, where there is no longer an Israeli military presence; We tried to improve the living conditions of Palestinians living in Gaza over the last decade; We allowed them to continue working in Israel despite the constant risk of terrorist activity; We did not prevent them from receiving funding from Qatar to help them grow. , but Hamas captured Gaza and used these resources to attack us. We are attacking the people, but we have no choice. Those who look back and say that Israel is responsible for all this do not know the real situation and do not understand that Hamas bears full responsibility for what is happening. Members of the Palestinian Authority expelled and took control of Gaza by force. “We must ensure that Gaza is no longer used to kill Israeli citizens.”
However, doesn’t occupying the Gaza Strip without opening humanitarian corridors and risking the death and injury of thousands of civilians risk shifting some of the public opinion against Israel, even in Italy? After all, Biden also wanted to prevent massacres among civilians.
“I understand that many people can rightfully empathize with the suffering people, but I repeat: the responsibility for all this lies with those who use the people of Gaza as human shields and attack the people of Israel. There will be humanitarian corridors or other forms of assistance: as I said, our goal is certainly not to create a humanitarian crisis, but to protect the Gaza Strip.” We want to ensure that it no longer becomes the starting point for terrorist operations against the people of Israel, against Hamas. It acts with the full awareness of responsibility for the fate of the people of Gaza. We cannot in any way allow other attacks to begin, we must respond to the threat by destroying it at its source. They say Gaza is an open-air prison , but for national security reasons we cannot control all of its borders, we only control the one with Israel, I repeat, material and humanitarian aid can come from the Egyptian border, the door is open. Immediately after an attack of this magnitude, Israel will pour fuel into the Gaza Strip as if nothing had happened. “And to expect it to continue providing electricity is too high an expectation.”
How was this catastrophic failure of Israeli intelligence services possible? Could Netanyahu’s political weakness have had an impact?
“The fact that there is an internal debate in Israel is no secret, everyone knows the situation, but I do not think that this affects the work of the intelligence. The failure of our services and the difficulties faced by our military in responding immediately. The threat will be investigated. This is something that surprises both us and you. It is very much like the Iron Dome.” We have developed advanced defense systems, but we also understood that the most advanced technologies may not be enough to deal with a determined enemy who wants to destroy you. The operation in Gaza was necessary because defense alone was not enough. But the blame for what happened is not on the Israeli army or the secret services: Decision “It is Hamas that gives it. Entering Israel to kill defenseless citizens.”
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
