Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Minister of Economics and Trade, Naftali Bennett, told Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide Wednesday that Israel will have to defend itself against terrorism from Gaza.

The meeting between the two lasted about one hour and took place against the backdrop of rocket fire from Gaza against Israeli civilian targets. The men discussed diplomatic and security relations between the two countries.

Bennett presented "new approaches" to managing the Middle Eastern conflict and suggested to the Norwegian minister that Oslo rethink its own positions in view of the regional developments.

"The thousands of missiles that fell on Israel from Gaza crushed the remainders of the Israeli public's trust in ceding land in return for peace."

"Now we will have to defend ourselves through our own actions," he said. "Children in Israel deserve to go back to school after the holiday vacation without fearing that a rocket will fall on their classroom."

Earlier in the day, Bennett cautioned againt making territorial concessions to the enemies. "Last time we made these experiments it resulted in Oslo and well over a thousand Israelis murdered, so this time around we should not and will not make the same mistakes," he told Arutz Sheva's Yoni Kempinski.