(Ynet).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday during a National Security Cabinet discussion that "the theses which guided the disengagement from Gaza have collapsed – and we must say this with all integrity."
The most significant decision made during the meeting was to release 20 female Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a videotape containing a sign of life from kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
During the cabinet discussion, the prime minister referred to the Israeli pullout from Gaza in 2005. "There is no and there can be no situation in which Israel withdraws from a territory, is attacked with missiles from the same territory it withdrew from, and is not be given the right to defend itself," he said.
"There were theses that supported the pullout. One was that the pullout would promote peace and halt any attacks or firing of missiles from the Gaza Strip. According to the second one, even if the missile attacks on Israel would not be halted, we would have international legitimization to respond to aggression with all our force.
"We must say this with all integrity – these two assumptions have collapsed,The logic of these theses has collapsed completely. Today we are required to fix mistakes made in the past. We must guarantee that territories adjacent to the urban centers of the State of Israel would be demilitarized and won't be able to turn into terror and missile bases against Israel," he explained.
Netanyahu added during the discussion, "We must exert all measures in order to guarantee our right for self-defense. What is clear now is that Israel won't be able to take changes for the peace process and for promoting procedures, while at the same time there are procedures against the soldiers, officers and commanders of the IDF and against Israel's statesmen."
The most significant decision made during the meeting was to release 20 female Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a videotape containing a sign of life from kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
During the cabinet discussion, the prime minister referred to the Israeli pullout from Gaza in 2005. "There is no and there can be no situation in which Israel withdraws from a territory, is attacked with missiles from the same territory it withdrew from, and is not be given the right to defend itself," he said.
"There were theses that supported the pullout. One was that the pullout would promote peace and halt any attacks or firing of missiles from the Gaza Strip. According to the second one, even if the missile attacks on Israel would not be halted, we would have international legitimization to respond to aggression with all our force.
"We must say this with all integrity – these two assumptions have collapsed,The logic of these theses has collapsed completely. Today we are required to fix mistakes made in the past. We must guarantee that territories adjacent to the urban centers of the State of Israel would be demilitarized and won't be able to turn into terror and missile bases against Israel," he explained.
Netanyahu added during the discussion, "We must exert all measures in order to guarantee our right for self-defense. What is clear now is that Israel won't be able to take changes for the peace process and for promoting procedures, while at the same time there are procedures against the soldiers, officers and commanders of the IDF and against Israel's statesmen."
