As Prime Minister of Israel, I rejected a deal that would have led to the release of the soldier who was held captive by Hamas, Gilad Shalit, but today I say, “Release all Hamas prisoners, end the fighting in Gaza, return all the hostages and soldiers, and return the bodies that this movement has been holding for years.” .
This is how Ehud Olmert began his article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, in which he asserted that the chances of achieving the complete elimination of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) were non-existent from the moment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it was the main target of the war.
Even then, says Olmert, who was prime minister of Israel between 2006 and 2009, it was clear to everyone who managed the matter that the complete destruction of this organization was just “wishful thinking that is not militarily possible even under conditions different from those in the Gaza Strip.”
Olmert pointed out that the most prominent thing that Israel suffered from the attack tunnels in the Gaza War in 2014 was enough to realize that this network of tunnels represents a real obstacle to any rapid and decisive military operation that could eliminate Hamas, “and even under more favorable conditions, Hamas will not be defeated easily.” “.
Olmert stressed that Netanyahu knew, from the beginning, that his rhetoric was baseless and would eventually collapse in the face of a military and humanitarian reality that would force Israel to reach a stage in which it would end its current military campaign, stressing that the time has come to acknowledge that the defeat of Hamas is out of reach. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that Israel has not yet reached the point of taking the initiative in this war.
To prove his point, Olmert says that the 2002 operation, at the height of the second intifada, did not lead to the elimination of “terrorist groups” in the West Bank, but it greatly reduced their activities, and “it took several years before we could say that the operation had ended.” truly”.
Regarding what is to come, Olmert warns that Israel faces difficult days ahead, with the increasing number of soldiers falling and the increasing painful scenes of destruction and devastation in Gaza, which “cast a heavy shadow on the State of Israel, and undermine the support and patience shown to us by even the most friendly countries.”
What should we do in this situation? Olmert asked, answering that he believes the time has come for Israel to express its readiness “to end the fighting, yes, to end the fighting, not to stop it and not to stop it for two, three or four days, the end of hostilities.”
Olmert warned that failure to do so immediately would mean that over time Israel would return only the bodies of its prisoners, as there would be none alive, adding that Israel must condition the cessation of hostilities on the release of all prisoners, and that Hamas has the bodies of Israelis that it has been holding since Years.
On the other hand, the former Israeli Prime Minister says, Israel will have no choice but to release all the Hamas prisoners it holds, especially since Netanyahu had agreed to release 1,027 people convicted of murder, including the “Nazi” Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, among whom were residents. From East Jerusalem and Israeli citizens…all for one soldier.
Although I had rejected such a deal when I was prime minister, Olmert says, today I say, “Release them,” because the return of the Israelis who were “kidnapped” will only be in exchange. “Israel’s commitment to its citizens who were kidnapped from their homes, bedrooms, living rooms, and shelters is greater.” “It is shameful to make concessions to Hamas.”
But Olmert stressed that he sees no chance that Netanyahu will ever agree to his proposal, because the current prime minister believes that his personal future, his survival, his political life, his legacy, his family, and his children all depend on the continuation of the war. Therefore, he is willing to make Israel burn to achieve his goals.
Olmert concluded his article with a question addressed to the Israeli War Council: “Will any of Netanyahu’s colleagues in the Cabinet have enough courage and determination to do what is required now?”
