The chairman of the New Hope Party, Minister Gideon Sa'ar, on Tuesday evening lit Hanukkah candles with bereaved families and commented on the cooperation in the emergency government, which he believes is necessary during the war.
"Many hostages are still in the captivity of the cruel enemy in Gaza. At this time there are those who are standing with a stopwatch in hand: ‘Well, when are you leaving? When are you dismantling the emergency government?’ And at the same time, in the international community, we are facing a fierce campaign. We are being pressured: ‘When are you finishing [the war]?’ At the end of last week, only with an American veto, the proposal to force a ceasefire on us was blocked in the Security Council. The US announced last Thursday: We do not set timetables for Israel. They didn't turn on the stopwatch. But there are those among us who have already turned it on. Israel is under attack on several fronts! On what planet are you living?" Sa'ar asked those calling for him to leave the government.
"I want to say something clear tonight: It is important to maintain the emergency government during the war. After all, who will be encouraged by the dissolution of the war government? Hamas. Hezbollah. Iran. This war is crucial for the future of our children and grandchildren in this country. There must be no return to wars among the Jews during the war against the enemy," Sa’ar said.
He also addressed the question of the day after the war. "I will not allow my patriotism, our patriotism, to be used for needs that are not related to the good of the state. I will only have the national interest in front of me. I will not talk politics tonight. I will only say this: After the war - the time will come for the correction of Israeli society. And a major correction is required. A political correction as well. And we will be there as usual - on this front. But we will keep the right order of things: First of all - defeat the enemy together. Only then - return to the political routine."
The minister also rejected the calls to integrate the Palestinian Authority in the management of Gaza after the war. "I recognize a Palestinian, Arab, international attempt to try and bring to the forefront again the dangerous idea of establishing a Palestinian state west of Jordan.”
“Don't take it lightly. I tell you: The day after - after the security campaign - we will have to fend off diplomatic threats. This is our destiny. God forbid that we - after paying compound interest for past mistakes, return to the path of retreats, weakness and concessions. God forbid that we, after we pay with the blood of our sons, return to the illusions of the past."
"We will not agree to a Palestinian terrorist state - neither in Judea and Samaria nor in Gaza. We will not agree to relinquish security responsibility - neither in Judea and Samaria nor in Gaza. We will not agree to harm communities in Judea and Samaria, because the right to settle in the Land of Israel involves our right to national security, as we learned from our teacher Menachem Begin of blessed memory. And when settlement is harmed - in the end security is also harmed," he concluded.
