“Hamas is not fighting for the Palestinians, but it is stabbing the Palestinian people in the back,” Israel’s ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, said in an interview with ‘Naftemporiki’, 40 days after the attack with thousands of dead people.
The Israeli ambassador explained that this war was “imposed on Israel”, after the barbaric attack by Hamas against innocent Israeli citizens and the kidnapping of over 240 hostages. He also estimated that it will probably take months to complete the operation. “The war will continue as long as necessary, until we achieve our goals: The complete dissolution of Hamas, the release of all hostages, but we also want to prevent the expansion of the war by Iran which is arming Hamas and its affiliated organizations.”
Regarding the post-war situation, Noam Katz underlined that “the Palestinians must rule Gaza, but any future solution cannot be related to Hamas. We do not want to recapture Gaza, but to strengthen security capabilities in the Gaza Strip. This means that if Hamas attempts to return to Gaza in some form and impose its dictatorial regime, we will be forced to act again.”
Asked about Turkey’s pro-Hamas stance, the Israeli ambassador stressed that it is “completely wrong”. “Turkey” – he said – “has been on the wrong side of history since the beginning of the crisis.”
On the contrary, Katz expressed complete satisfaction with the attitude of Athens and the Greek people. “Greece clearly supports Israel’s right to self-defense, within the framework of the international rules of an armed conflict. We have also received great support and solidarity from the Greek people who want a better future for the Palestinians, the Israelis, for all of us,” the ambassador of Israel noted.
The full interview to Michalis Psilos follows:
Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much for your interview with Naftemporiki. 40 days of hostilities have already been completed after the Hamas terror attack on Israel and the question is when will this war end?
I want to emphasize right from the beginning that this war was imposed on us, after the bloody barbaric attack by Hamas against innocent citizens and the kidnapping of more than 240 hostages. The answer is simple: The war will continue as long as necessary, until we achieve our goals: The complete dissolution of Hamas, the release of all hostages, but we also want to prevent the expansion of the war by Iran, which is arming Hamas and its affiliated organizations.
At what stage are the Israeli military operations regarding the elimination of Hamas?
It will likely take months to complete the operation. We must crush the Hamas army. It has 40,000 men in its army. We want to arrest its military leaders and executives and bring them to justice. But also to destroy the operational capabilities of the terrorist state of Hamas. We are now in the middle of the second phase of our operation in Gaza. It is not the final stage. This phase began with operations that split the Gaza Strip in two and the main target was Hamas infrastructure in northern Gaza and Gaza city itself.
Hamas had been preparing for 17 years
Hamas has been preparing for this war for 17 years. Gaza is not just a city, it is an underground city with fortified tunnels, not to defend the civilians, but the terrorist organization. These tunnels are used for weapons storage, military shelters, command centers, possibly for keeping hostages. Therefore we are slowly neutralizing this network.
This is the second phase, but Hamas is moving into southern Gaza and our forces will continue operations until Hamas is completely neutralized.
But the question, Mr. Ambassador, is that the political leaders of Hamas live in luxury in Gulf countries, such as Qatar, while at the same time those who are being bombed are civilians, women and children. We are talking about over 11,000 Palestinian dead and about 1,200 Israelis, in 40 days of war…
I agree with you that it is a tragedy for both Palestinians and Israelis. It is a war that has been imposed on us and we are acting exactly the opposite of Hamas. We protect civilians. We have removed some 250,000 Israeli civilians from the areas around the war zones and we are also trying to protect the Palestinian civilians, to remove them safely under the rules of war.
We call on them to leave the war zones for safer areas. We create safe passages for them to evacuate the areas. Some are reluctant to evacuate their homes, others are forced by Hamas not to flee to the South using them as human shields. We facilitate the entry of systematic humanitarian aid and supplies as well as makeshift hospitals, in cooperation with Egypt and the international community.
The occupation of Al Shifa Hospital
However, the Israeli army occupied al-Shifa hospital yesterday, causing international reactions.
Indeed, Israeli forces with a precision operation entered the hospital with targeted operations against Hamas which uses tunnels under the hospital as a terror command center. Israeli forces are also providing humanitarian aid to the hospital.
What about the numbers? We cannot accept the figures provided by the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. We see in these numbers that there are no fighters, but only women and children. But of course there are civilian casualties and we don’t want that.
However, two members of the Israeli government supported the “voluntary removal” of Palestinians from Gaza. Is this your government’s official position?
Although I am not aware of these statements exactly, it is against Israeli policy to do so. Our position is that Palestinians should live in Gaza and in better and safer conditions and not under the control of Hamas. When Hamas will not be the main protagonist, the Palestinians can stay in Gaza and rule it. We need to create a completely different environment in Gaza.
What will Gaza be like after the war?
But who will rule Gaza after the war? Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the Palestinian Authority cannot rule Gaza either. What is the alternative?
Netanyahu said whoever rules Gaza should not allow hatred be taught in schools. We believe that the Palestinians should govern Gaza and will undoubtedly need the help of the international community.
Do you not see the possibility of Hamas coming back in another form?
The future solution cannot be related to Hamas. We do not want to recapture Gaza, but to strengthen security capabilities in the Gaza Strip. This means that if Hamas attempts to return to Gaza in some form and impose its dictatorial regime, we will be forced to act again. Undoubtedly, after the war there will be an emotional charge. There must be a better future for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Does this mean you will promote the idea and resolutions of the UN regarding two states?
I will use another expression: Israelis and Palestinians must sit down together at the table and discuss the end of the conflicts. At the moment, our partner is the Palestinian Authority, which, however, is currently relatively weak. Palestinian society must rebuild itself. Let’s wait and see how we will sit around the table.
Mr. Ambassador, will we see a new Oslo agreement?
If we talk about the immediate future, the two societies cannot sit at the same table and negotiate. But in the near future we have to see which Palestinian leadership will be part of the new peace architecture in the Middle East. But it is still premature to talk about it. We are still in the middle of a war that will be relatively long.
Turkey on the wrong side of history
I would like your comment on the stance of Turkey and Erdogan personally, in favor of Hamas. Before the war you had proceeded to fully restore bilateral relations. What changed suddenly?
We believe that Turkey’s position supporting Hamas is completely wrong. Turkey has been on the wrong side of history since the beginning of the crisis.
But before the war, Erdogan said he had reached an agreement with Israel to transport Eastern Mediterranean gas through pipelines that would pass through Turkish territory? Now what will happen?
Turkey under Erdogan started an effort to approach Israel, as well as Greece. There is undoubtedly a backlash with these statements by Erdogan in favor of Hamas. Turkey as an important country in the region should play a constructive role. Our tripartite cooperation with Greece and Cyprus is solid.
Greece expresses the right position
Mr. Ambassador, how do you see Greece’s role in the crisis? Is Greece on the right side of history?
Undoubtedly. At the intergovernmental level, the strategic friendship and cooperation between the two countries is also visible in this period of war. Greece clearly supports Israel’s right to self-defense, within the framework of the international rules of an armed conflict. Athens emphasizes that Hamas is a terrorist organization, while the Palestinian Authority is the legal representative of the Palestinians and humanitarian aid must be brought to Gaza. We also want humanitarian aid to be provided.
Greece expresses the right position at the highest level. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two leaders also spoke on the phone. But also ministers of both governments are in contact, the system works because it is within the framework of the European Union and the entire free world, from Japan to Britain and the United States.
We have also received great support and solidarity from the Greek people who want a better future for the Palestinians, the Israelis, for all of us. They are shocked by the unprovoked, barbaric attack by Hamas. Moreover, it is not contradictory to the fact that the Greek people feel solidarity with the Palestinians for self-determination. Hamas is not fighting for the Palestinians, it is backstabbing the Palestinian people.”
