MK Avi Maoz, leader of the Noam party, expresses grave concern over the IDF's handling of the Gaza Strip. "I fear we're returning to the 'victims of peace' concept," he says in an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News.
"I am very concerned that we are sliding back into the 'victims of peace' concept post-Oslo," says Maoz, referencing Hamas' severe violation of the ceasefire with their attack on Israeli soldiers. "The Prime Minister ordered the closure of the crossings, halting the entry of humanitarian aid trucks, and after a few hours, under American pressure, we reversed this and returned to the ceasefire."
Maoz is convinced that after such violations, Israel has no choice but to return to actual combat. Addressing the claim that Israel is replicating the southern Lebanon model in Gaza, which has proven effective so far, Maoz says that it was promised that if Hamas does not disarm, Israel will do so by force. "Here, Hamas is violating the agreement from the very first stage, namely from the stage of returning the slain hostages, and in addition, they are firing on our forces in a combined attack. We need to return to fighting and bring about Hamas' defeat."
Later in his remarks, Maoz referred to the proposed bill he intends to raise in the coming days to apply Israeli sovereignty in the areas of Judea and Samaria. "The Ministerial Committee decided to forward the proposal to the coalition leadership. I do not know what the coalition leadership decided, but the Knesset passed a declarative decision calling for the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria with a majority of 71, and I expect there will be a majority for my bill as well."
Addressing the position of the American president, who said "enough" on the issue of sovereignty and asked to remove it from the agenda, MK Maoz reminds that Israel is not a vassal state of the U.S. "Therefore, it is not the American president who will tell Israel when to fight and when to stop fighting, when to defeat Hamas and when to apply sovereignty."
"I greatly respect the American president's aspirations for peace, and I greatly respect the assistance America provides us. America does this for its own interests, and we must stick to our own interests. Our interests are to make it clear to Hamas and cut off all Palestinian hopes of establishing a state here. There will be no state between the Jordan River and the sea, except for Israel," says Maoz, viewing the promotion of the sovereignty law as a necessary step toward that goal.
In his remarks, Maoz expresses concern that the Trump plan actually opens the door for the creation of a Palestinian state. "The concern is very serious. The plan opens the door to a Palestinian state, it opens the door to leaving Hamas as a partner in governance in Gaza." He also reminds that the goal of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is one: that Israel does not exist. "Therefore, we must make it clear to our enemies that Israel is the only state between the Jordan River and the sea, and we must apply sovereignty over the areas of Judea and Samaria."