Eisenkot says establishment of Palestinian state ‘irrelevant’ in post-Oct. 7 reality
The National Unity no. 2 says similarly that there’s no reason to discuss resettling Gaza, and accuses Netanyahu of turning war into ‘divisive conflict’ within Israeli society
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Discussions of establishing a Palestinian state are “irrelevant” in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught, but there is also no reason to discuss re-occupying the Gaza Strip, National Unity party MK Gadi Eisenkot, who is seen as possibly a major force in the next election, said on Saturday evening.
In an interview with Channel 12’s “Meet the Press,” the centrist politician and former IDF chief of staff declared that after the “murderous event” that was October 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were massacred and 251 were taken hostage, Israel was not in a place to discuss giving the Palestinians “a state and a prize.”
“I think a Palestinian state is irrelevant after October 7,” said Eisenkot. “We need to be measured, build it from the bottom up.”
Israel must instead “make our considerations from a position of strength, and take our time” on the issue, he said.
Eisenkot similarly dismissed calls for Israel to return to the Gaza Strip and rebuild the settlements it withdrew from two decades ago, during the 2005 disengagement.
Pointing out that the decision to withdraw from the enclave had passed at the time in a vote of 59-40, Eisenkot said that when he asks himself “whether it is right to return settlements to the Gaza Strip, the answer is no.”
“There’s no need to bring settlements back to any part of the Gaza Strip,” he reiterated, stressing that this included the northern Gaza settlements, which some argue are necessary for defense.
His answer differed somewhat from the stance adopted by his party leader, Benny Gantz, who said recently that Israel should not have fully withdrawn from Gaza, and that the “biggest mistake” was evacuating the northern settlements.
Like Eisenkot, however, Gantz has acknowledged that resettling the Strip “would be a mistake.”
Turning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Eisenkot claimed that the premier had taken a war of national consensus and turned it into a divisive conflict “that is greatly influenced by the political reality within the cabinet” — primarily because of the demands of far-right politicians such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
He asserted that not only was Netanyahu not doing “everything necessary” to free the hostages, as he frequently claims that he is, but he was also failing to secure an appropriate post-war settlement or to properly leverage Jerusalem’s relationship with Washington.
“I am very disturbed by the fact that the Americans are holding direct talks with Hamas… over our heads,” withdrawing from Syria and ending their campaign in Yemen, Eisenkot said, referring to a slew of recent US decisions in the region.
“Part of the American ability to drive these moves stems from the use of Israeli force, and we should have been an asset and also been given status and power,” he lamented.
Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.
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