“We’ve become the joke of the Middle East – I’m not sure we even realize it yet,” said Otzma Yehudit Chair Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned from the government with his Otzma Yehduit party over the approval of the ceasefire and hostage deal, is urging Israel to adopt a harsher stance towards Hamas in order to secure a decisive victory in the Gaza Strip.
Ben-Gvir has been highly critical of Israel’s practice of permitting the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel into the Strip, citing the fact that the vast majority of these supplies are usurped by Hamas.
Speaking to radio station Kol BaRama on Sunday, Ben-Gvir said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had caved to pressure from the U.S. over the humanitarian crisis in the Strip, to the detriment of Israel’s war aims.
“It’s not easy to stand up to the U.S. president, but I would expect the prime minister to stand by our truth,” Ben-Gvir said.
He appeared to be referencing President Donald Trump’s ultimatum that Israel agree to the ceasefire, which some have argued includes unfavorable terms for the Jewish State.
“We’ve become the joke of the Middle East – I’m not sure we even realize it yet,” he continued.
“A country doesn’t supply fuel to its enemy and provide humanitarian aid that ends up in Hamas’s hands – those who voted [to do so] knew exactly what they were doing.”
Ben-Gvir has enthusiastically supported Trump’s proposal to resettle Gazans outside of the Strip while the war-torn territory is rebuilt.
But, Ben-Gvir stressed that he disagreed with Trump’s recent statement that he is “not in a rush” to implement the plan.
“We need to launch an initiative [as soon as] today to encourage voluntary migration,” Ben-Gvir told Kol BaRama.
“Trump says there is time, but [from Israel’s perspective] there is no time,” he added.
Ben-Gvir concluded the interview by reiterating the importance of ousting Hamas from power in the Strip, which is one of the stated goals of the war.
He said that his Otzma Yehudit party would not re-join the government “until we move toward toppling Hamas.”
Image - Gaza terrorists simulating the stabbing of Israeli soldiers and the execution of Itamar Ben-Gvir on October 13, 2022. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)