From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 1, 2024
Blaming Netanyahu for slow pace of Gaza war, Sa’ar calls for elections in January 2025
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"
Blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he describes as the slow pace of operations in the Gaza Strip, New Hope chair Gideon Sa’ar calls for early elections and the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the failures leading to October 7.
“I have long warned that prolonging the conquest of the Gaza Strip and completing the elimination of the Hamas battalions over such a long period of time is harmful to the national interest,” Sa’ar tells reporters in the Knesset during his New Hope – The United Right party’s weekly faction meeting.
“Before our eyes, a strategic reversal has occurred: for months Israel has been talking about the southern Gaza Strip — Rafah — but does not enter,” leading Hamas to demand the return of civilians to the northern Gaza Strip. This, he continues, is actually a call for “the restoration of its governmental and military power in the north of the Gaza Strip.”
“At the same time, the failure in the way humanitarian aid is distributed in the Gaza Strip continues, which causes the strengthening of Hamas in regards to the civilian population in a way which is contrary to the goals of the war” and leads the terror group to harden its positions in hostage negotiations, Sa’ar asserts — arguing that without a “fundamental change” in direction Israel will not be able to topple the terror group.
The only way to regain focus and successfully prosecute the war is setting a date for elections, he continued, calling for a national vote in January 2025.
In addition, Sa’ar argues that it is “essential” to establish a state commission of inquiry into “the biggest failure in the country’s history… as soon as possible.”
“It will not harm the war…but it is essential so that when we get to the elections the picture of the responsibility of all those responsible at the political level and at the professional level will be clear and presented to the people,” he says.
