Ben-Eliezer: “Truce is Over; Army Will Operate as Hard as it Can”

Saturday December 20, 2008 07:05 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Infrastructure Minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, threatened on Friday that the Israeli army will operate as hard as it can in the Gaza Strip under the pretext of stopping the firing of homemade shells by resistance fighters in Gaza.

Benjamin Ben-Eliezer

He also said that such a possible offensive would serve Ehud Barak in the upcoming general elections.

“As far as Israel is concerned, the truce is over”, Ben-Eliezer stated, “The Palestinians must understand that they will be the ones paying a high price because of their leadership”.

He added that the army will not hesitate and will “use all of its might” to stop the firing of homemade shells.

Ben-Eliezer also said that he believes that ending the truce is better for Israel, and added that the Israeli army used the truce to prepare for a possible offensive.

“The army was never more ready than it is now” he stated, “if troops have to invade Gaza, they will do it in the best way”.

Commenting on the upcoming Israeli elections, Ben-Eliezer said that the ground offensive would help boost the position of his colleague, Defense Minister, Ehud Barak.  Both are part of the political leadership of the Labor party.

Commenting on talks with Syria, Ben-Eliezer said that despite criticisms against the outgoing Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, he believes that Israel must be lenient in this issue and must show the world that it is willing to negotiate in order to achieve a peace deal with the Syrians.  

He added that a peace agreement between Israel and Syria would isolate Iran and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party. “This will enable us to change the Middle East, change the rules of the game”, Ben-Eliezer said.

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