Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country’s military operation against the Hamas terrorist group will not be completed until the Gaza Strip and Palestinian society as a whole are “de-radicalized,” citing the example of defeated Germany. and Japan after World War II.
“Gaza will have to be deradicalized,” Netanyahu wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Tuesday. “Schools must teach children to appreciate life rather than death, and imams must stop preaching about the murder of Jews. “Palestinian civil society needs to transform so that its people support the fight against terrorism instead of financing it.”
“Successful deradicalization took place in Germany and Japan after the Allied victory in World War II,” the Israeli leader added. “Today, both nations are great allies of the United States and promote peace, stability and prosperity in Europe and Asia.”
Allied forces occupied Germany for four years after the defeat of the Nazis in May 1945, while the occupation of Japan after that country’s surrender lasted until April 1952.
Benjamin Netanyahu (center) wears a protective vest and helmet as he receives a security briefing with commanders and soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip. AP
The purge of Palestinian terrorist ideology was one of three “prerequisites for peace” Netanyahu laid out in the op-ed, along with “Hamas must be destroyed” and “Gaza must be demilitarized.”
On Monday, the 74-year-old made a visit to northern Gaza to meet with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ground soldiers.
“First thing: we will do everything possible to keep you safe,” Netanyahu told the troops. “Secondly, we will not stop. Anyone who talks about stopping, no. We are not going to stop. This war will last until the end. Until they finish. Nothing less than that.”
A Palestinian celebrates near a burning Israeli civilian car. AP
In the WSJ op-ed, Netanyahu defended the IDF’s conduct, saying it “does everything possible to minimize civilian casualties by dropping leaflets, sending text messages and using other means to warn Gazans to stay away from the danger. Hamas, on the other hand, does everything it can to keep Palestinians in harm’s way, often at gunpoint.
“Unfairly blaming Israel for these casualties will only encourage Hamas and other terrorist organizations around the world to use human shields.”
Netanyahu also called for a “temporary security zone on the Gaza perimeter and an inspection mechanism on the Gaza-Egypt border that meets Israel’s security needs and prevents weapons smuggling into the territory.”
Palestinians celebrate their return after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images
The prime minister also reiterated his opposition to granting the Palestinian Authority future control of the area, the Biden administration’s preferred outcome.
“The expectation that the Palestinian Authority will demilitarize Gaza is a pipe dream,” Netanyahu wrote. “It currently funds and glorifies terrorism in Judea and Samaria and educates Palestinian children to seek the destruction of Israel. Not surprisingly, it has shown neither the ability nor the will to demilitarize Gaza. It did not do so before Hamas expelled it from the territory in 2007, and it has not done so in the territories under its control today.
“For the foreseeable future, Israel will have to retain primary responsibility for security in Gaza.”
Palestinian militants surround a truck supposedly carrying an Israeli captured after crossing the border fence. ZUMAPRESS.com
Israel launched airstrikes and a ground invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people, including 33 Americans.
Hundreds more were returned to Gaza as captives and only a handful have been released.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn