Israeli Minister Says Gaza Pullout Was Mistake
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Israeli cabinet minister Tzahi Hanegbi said Thursday that Israel's withdrawal of all Jewish civilians and Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip last summer had been a mistake that harmed national security. Hanegbi, who currently heads the powerful Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, originally supported former prime minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan, but now says that in light of recent events, the move was an utter failure. In an interview with Israel Radio, Hanegbi explained that the pullout had been perceived by Israel's Arab enemies as an act of "weakness, and this weakness prompted attacks in Gaza and along the northern border." Prior to the Gaza withdrawal, Sharon and his top deputy, current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, insisted that leaving the volatile Palestinian-dominated coastal strip would enable Israel to better defend itself, act as an incentive for the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, and provide Israel with greater diplomatic support on the international stage. Hanegbi noted that "on the political level it is impossible to ignore [the withdrawal's] contribution," but "it was not conducive to better security or to peace." Over the past year, defense officials warn that Gaza-based terror groups have used the absence of an Israeli civilian and military presence to build up a te |
