Lieberman: "The operation in Gaza strengthened Hamas'

The conflict strengthens Hamas not only militarily, but also politically", Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said tonight (Tuesday), in a speech at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

The Minister referred to the political negotiations and said: "I was fired from the Sharon government before the disengagement. Look at assessments of important people before the disengagement and see their predictions with the results. There are those who have not learned the lessons. Our main problem in the area of policy is that we think we have a problem with the Palestinians. We do not have that problem. Our problem is with the Arab world.

"One can blame Lieberman and Netanyahu that they are right-wing extremists and they do not want peace, but also other leaders who offered more generous offers to Abbas and Arafat refused them. Each one will learn straight and honest lessons and realize that what is needed is a regional arrangement. Arrangement in front Palestinians alone is doomed to failure in advance. Although it is not politically correct, such an agreement must include the Arabs in Israel. It is forbidden to sweep it under the carpet. "

Lieberman also referred to the conclusions of Operation Preventive Edge and said: "Terrorism has no boundaries and has no nationality. It is decentralized and therefore it is impossible to defeat terrorism as one victors a country. However I think it would be wrong to claim that it is impossible to deal with terrorism, and now the organizations that have no territory feel they are missing and what they want to achieve in this country.

Hamas as a terrorist organization is holding a semi-state. It has a defined territory, has limits. We should strangle this terror. So too Hezbollah - has defined neighborhoods and places in Lebanon. The same applies to Boko Haram-Nigeria. In the end, even al-Qaeda and ISIS want to achieve a state. This is the most dangerous phase for the free world.

"This is an intermediate step, but this is the last moment - the moment that there will be established terrorist countries we find ourselves in a different situation altogether. Our duty is to defeat these organizations when they are still semi-state terrorism.

"Conflict without demolishing the Hamas caused it to gain power. Every such conflict strengthens Hamas, not only militarily, but also politically.

"According to polls, 60 percent of Palestinians would vote for Haniyeh. No doubt that Hamas has become the most dominant factor among the Palestinians. Such things must not happen. We must stop fighting the wars of the past and begin to fight the wars of the future: to prevent terrorist groups turn to terrorist states.

"The danger is when these organizations manage to survive, so they are able to also be strengthened. We are witnessing it with Hamas in Gaza: During Pillar of Defense the rockets reached farther than Operation Cast Lead and during Preventive Edge, the range was much greater than it was in during Pillar of Defense, "the minister added.

The Minister also referred to the ISIS organization said, "Arab countries understand that the enemy is not the Zionists, have quite a few countries that have not yet overcome the psychological barrier, but they understand that we are not the enemy, but organizations like ISIS. Wave of terrorism is a threat not only to Israel, or the region, but a threat to the entire world order.

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