Likud MK Danny Danon talked with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about his recent visit to the Gaza Strip region with a contingent of foreign diplomats - a visit that was interrupted by a Hamas rocket barrage.
"We are in a war," he said. "It is important that they understand what people in these communities had to experience on a Saturday morning, on a Jewish holiday, and take that feeling back to their capitals. This time we must go all the way and finish off Hamas, and for that we need the support of the international community."
Danon believes that the international community already backs Israel to a large degree. "The things we saw on the Gaza border are not things you can forget. They burned babies, they raped women, these are not things that I will forget, that the visitors will forget, that the people of Israel will forget. Once they have seen these things, they will understand why we cannot have a partial operation that stops in a week or two. We need to strive for the complete eradication of Hamas - nothing less."
International support, however, is far from the only consideration: "Even if international support subsides, we are fighting for our survival. I would rather they condemn us than that we be victims like we were last Saturday."
"I want to stress one thing - we can beat Hamas. It will be a tough fight, but we can win. What we must not do is half a job. We must go all the way. In this part of the world, if you show weakness, your enemies will come after you. I would urge the leadership of Israel to show strength and completely finish off Hamas."
Danon also addressed the growing move in the Israeli government to expel al-Jazeera from the country, and his own appearances on the channel over the years. "I have given many interviews to al-Jazeera. When the invasion started, and they began actively collaborating with Hamas, I stopped giving them interviews. They support a terrorist organization and have no place in Israel. We should expel them from the country."