Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, one of the leaders of the Blue and White party, toured Gush Etzion on Wednesday.
"I am happy to see here in Gush Etzion the development and the relative security calm, compared to other periods," Ya'alon said during the tour.
Discussing the tension on the Gaza border, he said, "Our eyes and ears are now on the Gaza Strip, which continues to challenge the State of Israel and the IDF. The leaders of Blue and White come with quite a bit of security experience - we do not spread false slogans and talk about all kinds of assassinations and ultimatums. We are showing collective responsibility, especially at these times."
"The security situation today is the result of a year of weakness, we in Blue White have been saying that for a long time. Members of the cabinet made light of the arson phenomenon, and I knew that this would lead us to continued rocket attacks on the Gaza envelope. When there is no proper response, the rockets reach Gush Dan and Mishmeret," continued Ya’alon.
"We are looking toward the future. I suggest looking at the result that we reached after Operation Protective Edge - three and a half years of quiet without a single bullet. This is what should happen now. Hamas will pay a price for every provocation so that it will not be worthwhile for it to continue on this path. I hope that’s what happens. We must not hesitate, but also find a response to the humanitarian and economic needs of the population. Unfortunately, there has not been a sufficient response to these needs. A ceasefire must come when Hamas understands that there are no more firebombs and balloons. We have reached this goal in the past and we must reach this goal again," Ya'alon added.
"We have already proven in the past that we liquidated the suicide terrorism and the knife terrorism, we brought quiet. Today we again hear some very irresponsible criticism from cabinet member Naftali Bennett, as if there is no collective responsibility. He releases texts and minutes of meetings, he is the one who leaks information,” he charged.
"These texts are very partial, focusing on Benny Gantz and Ya'alon and undermining the Prime Minister and cabinet policy. This is a childish, irresponsible, dangerous man. I expect Bibi to throw him out in response to such reckless behavior,” Ya’alon concluded.