Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter said Tuesday evening that while Israel continues to speak the language of peace, the Palestinians seek Israel’s destruction-and Israelis refuse to listen to what is being said openly.
“Our vision is peace. We are a people that seeks peace, and we will continue to want peace,” Winter said at the Jabotinsky Conference. “The problem is that we hear them, but we don’t listen to them. I believe the Arabs. Ahmad Tibi stands up and says they are the third leg in the struggle-I believe him. I believe the Arabs of Jaffa who say ‘with spirit and blood we will redeem Jaffa.’ And I also believe the Palestinian Authority-despite the suits, they do not want us here.”
Winter argued that during the war Israel mistakenly gave the Palestinians hope instead of extinguishing it. “Who gave the Arabs in Gaza hope?” he asked, saying that talk of “the day after” during the fighting fostered expectations among Palestinians. “We kept telling them, ‘Hold on a little longer,’” he said, adding that once hope is gone-citing Ze’ev Jabotinsky-“they will emigrate from here.”
He also expressed hope that Israel has not missed an opportunity presented by US President Donald Trump and called for decisive action. “In Gaza, nothing should be left,” Winter said. “They must be sent from here. Their hope must be ended, and it must be stated clearly: there will never be a Palestinian state here.”