In
a special session called in the wake of the IDF operation in Gaza and the situation in southern Israel, Netanyahu called upon the citizenry of Israel, Jews and Arabs alike, to stand united behind the IDF’s actions in the south. He likewise called for a change in policy that would restore Israel’s deterrence. “For three transgressions of Gaza, I will turn away but for the fourth, I will not”, Netanyahu opened his address in the plenum session of the Knesset quoting from the Prophet Amos.
“For firing upon civilians, for taking cover behind civilians, for causing suffering to our citizens, and for causing suffering to their citizens, we will strike back at the terror in double measure , said Netanyahu and enumerated the crimes of the Hamas: “for destroying our communities, for destroying hope, we will pay them back with an iron hand, the hand of the Jewish people, as the Prophet Amos said: “I will send fire in the walls of Gaza.”
“There is no nation in the world who would have acted differently, said Netanyahu, noting that “For years we have been saying that the ceasefire was an illusion and that we have to move from passivity to activity. But now is not the time for divisiveness. Now is the time to focus on the challenge of the present.”
“There is no way to give back to the children of southern Israel the years of the loss of their peace of mind but we have a chance to create a different reality”, Netanyahu said, “The Prime Minster did well when he decided to move from passively taking punishment to taking an active initiative.”
“We stand behind our fighters in the IDF and the residents of the south who have been under prolonged fire, and now we have a dual goal: to stop the firing on our communities and to eliminate the threat of missiles. Achieving the first goal can be accomplished within a few days but achieving the second will be completed only with the toppling of the Hamas regime.”
“There is another goal, which is to restore Israel’s deterrence, for without it we have no chance of survival. Restoring our deterrent power will not happen in the wake of one operation. Our enemies saw that over the many years since the establishment of the State of Israel, the country has grown stronger and from war to war the number of our enemies has dwindled. It is this policy that paved the way for the peace with Egypt. In recent years, misguided policies and weakness have led our enemies to revise their perception of us, to perceive us now as weakening in our resolve to fight.”
“Changing their perception of us will not take place in a week or a month, not even in a year. Deterrence can be lost in a short time but many years are required to restore it,” said Netanyahu and noted that its return is vital for achieving peace.
“Our deterrent power will be restored when we implement a consistent policy of waging an uncompromising war against terror, when we draw our own lines, and exact heavy tolls from anyone crossing these lines. Those who say differently also said that we could never uproot suicide bomber terror or stop the shooting at Gilo.”
“We must avoid the diplomatic errors that rewarded terror and gave them bases from which to launch attacks against us in the north and in the south. We must maintain defensible borders such as the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley, and our capital Jerusalem, in its entirety.”
“Let our enemies make no mistake. To face what we must undertake in Gaza, all of the citizens of Israel are called upon to stand united. I do not mean that every last citizen must automatically approve every measure taken by the government but it is intolerable that they will support our enemies while the IDF is fighting the Hamas.
It is inconceivable that there are those among us who raise the flag of Hamas and repeat the slogans that call for our destruction. To the Arabs citizens of Israel I say: Reject the extremists among you. Help preserve the fabric of coexistence . To the extremists I say: Think twice, we will act with an iron hand against Hamas supporters in our midst.”.
“Citizenship gives many privileges but it also involves obligations. And the first and most basic obligation is loyalty to the state, the loyalty that we demand from all of the citizenry.”
Netanyahu called on Prime Minister Olmert to fire Minister of Science, Culture and Sport Raleb Majadele , who boycotted the cabinet meeting that approved the operation in Gaza. “I call upon all citizens of Israel, Jews and Arabs alike: support the state of Israel in its just war”.
During Netanyahu's address, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik expelled two Arab Israeli MKs from the special meeting, after they repeatedly interrupted his speech.
The first MK to be expelled from the meeting was Muhammad Barakei (Hadash), who called out, "How many wars are on your menu, Bibi?" as Netanyahu began his address to the Knesset. MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) told Barakei that he should go to Gaza to show his support, to which Barakei responded, "I would if only I could."
MK Taleb A-Sanaa (United Arab List) was also expelled from the meeting.
Both MKs were warned three times before Itzik ordered that they be removed from the meeting.
