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Wednesday, May 19, 2021
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Likud minister says ‘no way to avoid temporarily taking over Gaza’ to disarm Hamas
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Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)þf
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, says that in his view, there “will be no way to avoid temporarily taking over Gaza” to disarm the Hamas terror group.
“Nobody will disarm Hamas unless we do it by force,” Steinitz tells the Ynet news site, suggesting what would be a significant escalation of the conflict.
Steinitz acknowledges that others in the government don’t share that view.
“That idea comes with heavy costs; that’s why I understand those who think differently from me,” he adds.
Steinitz says he favors a unilateral ceasefire over a deal with Hamas.
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