In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar said his country didn’t have “any intention” to control the Gaza Strip long term.
“We don’t have any intention to do so,” Sa’ar said. “With regard to the Gaza Strip, we have only security concerns.”
But Sa’ar said the Palestinian terrorist movement Hamas “cannot control the Gaza Strip” and “cannot be part of the future of Gaza.”
“If Hamas is ready to lay down its arms, if they are ready to demilitarise the Gaza Strip, we can do it in a political path,” he said.
Sa’ar also deemed “ridiculous” criticism from several Western countries that Israel’s military response in Gaza is disproportionate.
“What would you say about the Western attack against ISIS (the so-called Islamic State group) that destroyed ISIS? Was it proportionate?” he asked.
“Israel should agree to the existence of this terrorist state, one mile from its communities … What are proportions in this case? This terror state should be eliminated as a state.”
Sa’ar is in Brussels to participate in the EU-Southern Neighbourhood ministerial meeting, a gathering aimed at deepening EU cooperation with Israel as well as nine other southern partners, including Palestine, Syria and Libya.
It is the first time that Israel and Palestine will be represented at a high level in Brussels since Hamas’ 7 October terror attacks and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.
