Former Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) director Yuval Diskin on Wednesday slammed right wing government ministers who seek to punish Hamas for its kidnapping and murder of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16), and Gilad Sha'ar (16).
In a Facebook posting, Diskin wrote that those behind these ideas include ministers like “Naftali Bennett (who has no problem killing Arabs), Uri Ariel (who wants to build new settlements), and Avigdor Liberman (another 'security hawk,' author of the 'transfer' plan for Israeli Arabs). They have all sorts of 'professional advice' for us in response to the horrible murders.”
“It would be a big mistake to enter into a 'major campaign' as they have advocated recently, including reconquering Gaza or bringing down the Palestinian Authority, or building new settlements,” wrote Diskin.
The ex-Shin Bet head continued "we could reconquer Gaza, but what then? We could destroy the PA, but what would replace it? Should we bring back the military government in Area A? And if we build new settlements we will just bring forward the sanctions that are inevitably going to be imposed on us. Each of these ideas will harm us much more than they will help us."
What Israel should do, he claimed, is continue pursuing the teens' murderers and dismantle Hamas' infrastructure. In addition, he said, Israel needs to reconsider its policies on releasing terrorists which, Diskin wrote, “is an incentive for them to carry out terror attacks.”
The only real solution, Diskin added, is to revive peace talks with the PA – immediately, if not sooner: “the two state solution, with the cooperation of Egypt and Jordan, is the only solution. Such a solution, I am positive, will reinforce Israel's security.”
Diskin added that he believed the government was still capable of carrying out such a deal, “despite the presence of the Bennetts and Libermans. I have a feeling that much of the tough talk they have been espousing is for the benefit of their voters, but the government itself is much calmer. But the government has shown that it can be swayed, so anything can happen."