Kadima party chairman and former defense minister Mofaz
says "Islamic State and Hamas are one"; warns that if Gaza isn't
disarmed through an arrangement, it will have to be disarmed by force. The Islamic State main goal is to conquer Jerusalem,
Kadima party chairman and former defense minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday.
Speaking at a conference held by the International Institute for
Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Mofaz said Islamic State terrorists are active
throughout the region, and are looking to move in to Jordan, Gaza and Lebanon.
"But their goal is Jerusalem, just like Hamas.
Islamic State and Hamas are one, let us make no mistake.
They are from the same village, and they are branches of the same tree,"
he said. "The Islamic State beheads its victims, and Hamas
operates with the same cruelty. True, this is not photographed. But anyone who
heard the recording of the murder of the Israeli teenagers kidnapped three
months ago, and the laughter of the Hamas men who shot them, understands that
Hamas is no less barbaric than the Islamic State," Mofaz said. "Hamas
is much more advanced. It uses rockets and attack tunnels. The Islamic State
isn't there yet, but it's seeking to get there." Hamas employs terrorism
as part of its strategy to head a Palestinian state in place of Fatah and PA President
Mahmoud Abbas, Mofaz argued.
"Hamas is parked on our border. Two months ago, I
turned to the prime minister in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and
proposed that we demand the disarmament of Gaza in exchange for its
rehabilitation. Disarmament is a must. We can't not negotiate with the
Palestinians on one channel, while allowing Hamas to dominate the lives of
millions of Israelis in the second channel," he added. He called for a demilitarized Palestinian state, with no
army, missiles, or armored vehicles that can threaten Israel. "Hamas is
stronger and bigger than the Islamic State. The Islamic State has about 15,000
members. Hamas is made up of 25,000 members. It can continue to function
despite the very severe blow it absorbed [this summer]," said the Knesset
Member and ex-IDF chief of staff.
In exchange for disarmament, Gaza could receive 50
billion dollars over five years for reconstruction, hea new clear division between two camps; a radical Islamic
camp versus moderate regional countries. "There is a clear and very
disturbing rise of terror organizations, both Shi'ite and Sunni," he said.
said. This would
"disconnect Hamas from [Gazan] civilians and give the Palestinian Authority
an opportunity to move into Gaza, together with reconstruction." But if no
arrangement that includes disarmament is reached, Israel will have no choice
but to disarm Gaza by force, he warned. "Before we send in the army and
our sons, we must try it through an arrangement. If the world unites around this issue, and Israel works
to unite the world around this, it can be achieved. If not, this will be done
by force." Mofaz said Israel must convert the achievement of Operation
Protective Edge to a series of diplomatic arrangements, including seeking a
long-term arrangement with the Palestinian Authority. "It's true that we
are a power, and can deal with our neighbors. But we need a long-term
arrangement with the Palestinians. There is no other option because there is now
Israel must "change its defense perceptions" to
fit the new era, the minister said. "The struggle will mostly be
asymmetrical. Threats and opportunities have to be differentiated," he
added. Defensive components like Iron Dome air defenses must be strengthened,
and money must be invested in intelligence and the creation of banks of enemy
targets. At the same time, the former intelligence chief said, the "threat
of classic all-out war hasn't fully passed."
On the other hand, a new regional coalition is emerging, made up of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan,
the PA and Israel. He cited close military and diplomatic cooperation with
Egypt, and the refusal of many Middle East states to endorse Hamas's demands.
Recent calls by the Saudi foreign minister for peace with Israel can't be
ignored in Jerusalem.
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