News Brief

Speaking in a weekend interview on Channel Two, Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon said that it had been a mistake for Israel to enter into the 'tahadiya' ceasefire agreement with Hamas. "The agreement for calm in Gaza was a mistake. Hamas was on the verge of collapse and by entering into the agreement, we helped stabilize it. We have been and will continue to pay, with compounded interest, for every day of this calm," Ramon said. He said that the agreement had been the idea of Hamas, "which couldn't get control of Gaza because of our daily attacks. No other country in the world lets terrorists fire rockets on its electric power plant, which provides electricity to the people firing the rockets," he added.

"I oppose the reoccupation of Gaza," Ramon said. "But the existence of a 'Hamastan' is dependent on Israel. We supply them with electricity, water and infrastructure. We cannot enter Gaza, but we should disrupt their infrastructure. If our children can't sleep at night, neither should theirs," he said.