Middle East Monitor / May 11, 2023
Israeli National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, confirmed on Wednesday that the Occupation has no interest in continuing the battle with the Palestinian factions.
In an interview with Channel 13, Hanegbi said, “The event has not ended yet,” adding, “We are still in a battle, and it is difficult to know how long it will go on.”
“The chance of achieving long-term deterrence is low,” he said, noting that “news of a ceasefire is premature.”
In this context, Haaretz newspaper quoted a senior political source as saying that it is in Israel’s interest to end the conflict with the Gaza factions as soon as possible.
The source added that any additional moves by either side could lead to a deterioration that would undermine the ability to reach a ceasefire.
In turn, the former spokesman for the Occupation army, Ronen Manelis, confirmed that “if the cease-fire enters into force in the next few hours, three parties will be able to declare victory: Israel, Jihad and Hamas.”
He noted, “Although the Islamic Jihad lost three of its leaders and many other victims, it managed to paralyze an entire country for 48 hours and fired into the centre of Tel Aviv.”
