Yoram Cohen
Yoram CohenFlash 90

Former Shabak (Israel Security Agency) chief Yoram Cohen expressed support for the ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group - on condition that new ground rules are established, which do not include transferring money to Hamas.

Cohen, who headed Shabak during both Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge, emphasized that transferring funds to Hamas was a "grave mistake."

"It's hard for me to say that we won," Cohen said in an interview with N12. "Hamas has achieved a great accomplishment in that they fired heavy barrages at us, continuously and for a long period of time. However, I think that our achievements are much better than those of the other side: We hit those who were involved in the missiles pretty hard, their accuracy and their battle chiefs, and that will greatly harm the entire system.

"The damage to the underground system is also pretty good - without the 'metro,' they are very much inferior."

"We need to set a rule: Firing towards Israel will be accompanied by fire and damage. We need to hurt anyone who fires at us, without blinking. A sovereign country cannot live with doublespeak such as 'drizzles' towards Gaza-area communities. 'Drizzles' is rain. Not mortars and not rockets."

Regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cohen said: "The Prime Minister has a lot of good points, he has a lot of merits, in many things, over the years. Both with regards to security and also when it comes to diplomacy and when it comes to the economy. I think that in recent years, in some of the things, his leadership is not at its best. We saw it with coronavirus and the haredim, we saw it in other issues of worldview and problematic policies, when it comes to ethics, values, and our leadership."

"People want leaders who are straight, with values, courage, ability to manage risks properly, and who are transparent. If you ask me, I prefer honest people, who I can rely on and rely on their ability to make decisions and on their values. I think it's come time for a change," he concluded.