In an interview with the British Sky News network, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would not be surprised if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on a full occupation of the Gaza Strip.
According to Olmert, the real leaders in Israel's government are ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who openly support the occupation of Gaza and the voluntary emigration of its residents.
He added that he believes that Netanyahu’s political partners’ strategy is to occupy all of Gaza and expel its local residents, as the first step toward implementing a similar move in Judea and Samaria.
Olmert also warned that such a military operation could endanger the lives of the hostages, who are dying from starvation and torture, and reminded the interviewers of former US President Joe Biden’s advice, which he claimed recommended that Israel not go too far in its response to the October 7th attack.
He argued that Hamas has already suffered a heavy blow, and now Israel needs to focus on bringing back the hostages, bringing in Arab forces to replace the IDF on the ground, and initiating a political process led by the Palestinian Authority. When asked if he believes Netanyahu and the cabinet care about Palestinian lives, he replied, "I’m not sure, unfortunately."
Olmert pointed out that Netanyahu is lacking in global support world, except for US President Donald Trump, who has the ability to order a halt to the war.
In the internal political context, Olmert said he supports former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's call for civil disobedience and for millions to take to the streets to bring down the government and call for early elections to the Knesset.
Olmert claimed that the majority of the public in Israel does not trust the Prime Minister and ministers in making decisions regarding the hostages and the prolongation of the war.