Israel will not seek to occupy the Gaza Strip following the planned elimination of the Islamic terrorist group Hamas. This opinion was expressed yesterday by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on ZIB2. After the war, Palestinians must “take their future into their own hands”. “In the long term, we have to stick to the two-state solution.”
“We need to normalize our relationships. “Israel wants an independent and viable Palestinian state,” said Barak, who also served as Israeli foreign minister and defense minister during his political career. Israel’s planned ground offensive in the Gaza Strip “will cost sweat, tears and blood,” Barak said, “but we will win.” As this cannot be achieved just “from the air”, “we have to use ground troops”.
But Israel committed itself to international law. “We will do everything in our power to avoid civilian casualties.” Hamas accused Barak of speculating with them. For tactical reasons, for example, they installed their command center directly under the largest hospital in Gaza. “But hospitals can also be evacuated.”
Ultimately, according to Barak, after Israel’s military action, the Gaza Strip should be controlled by an international military force led by Egypt and subsequently handed over to the care of the Palestinian Authority. When asked if he would live to see the “two-state solution”, the 81-year-old was confident. “Everyone in my family aspires to live into triple digits. So yes, I will live to see it.”