Israeli Military Operation in Rafah Not in the Country's National Interest, Says Former PM Olmert
Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday — pummeling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians — according to witnesses, emergency workers and hospital officials.
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00:00 I thought that we have reached a point where the possible advantage of an Israeli military
00:05 operation in Rafa is not worse, the cost for Israeli soldiers and the cost for Palestinians
00:12 not involved in the sense of millions that might be hurt as a result of this operation.
00:18 And most of all, the possible loss of the hostages. So I thought that we have reached
00:26 a point where we may not reach the absolute victory that the Prime Minister was talking about,
00:33 but we perhaps can still save the hostages. And this is a primary
00:40 target for what we want to achieve and need to achieve. I thought that it had to stop a while
00:48 ago, not just now, two months ago, three months ago. There was no really any possible purpose
00:56 that was worth the cost, as I say. And I think that the Prime Minister is not just wrong, I think
01:05 that he pushes it because of reasons which are not in line with what we consider to be the national
01:13 interest and security interest of the State of Israel, and particularly not the interest of
01:19 saving Israelis that are held by these murderers and killers, and we may lose them. And we already
01:27 lost many of them while they were held by the Hamas. So there is a likelihood that if we will
01:33 continue, we will not save them and there will not be an absolute victory anyway. So we have to
01:40 make up our mind that this is the time. Probably some of the leaders of the terrorist organizations
01:48 will still be alive, but their lives are much less of importance to us than the possible loss
01:57 of our own citizens which are held by the Israeli government and has to be replaced as soon as
02:03 possible. This is a totally inappropriate leadership to the people of Israel, to the
02:10 State of Israel. The Prime Minister has failed completely before the October tragic events,
02:17 and ever since the October events, the handling of the military operation was not right. And the
02:29 present time, continuing this operation does not serve any national interest.
02:40 It is worse for the State of Israel. We just have to stop it and we have to try and deal with our
02:48 domestic issues which are very serious and threatening the foundations of our country,
02:53 our status in the world. The international community attitude to the State of Israel is
03:00 eroding on a minute basis, on a daily basis, in such a way that the damage to the basic interest
03:09 of the State of Israel is growing rapidly. It has to be stopped and we have to handle ourselves
03:18 in an entirely different manner.