Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to suspend a junior cabinet member who appeared to suggest he was open to Israel executing a nuclear strike on Gaza. The suspension was announced on Sunday.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas reaches the one-month mark, Netanyahu’s office announced that Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu had been suspended until further notice. The suspension comes after Eliyahu appeared for a radio interview in which he seemed to suggest that a nuclear option in Gaza was “one way” to deal with the ongoing conflict, according to Reuters.
The remark was immediately condemned by both the Arab world and the mainstream Israeli news. One U.S. official said that the statement was “objectionable.” Eliyahu is a member of a right-wing party in the coalition government, but the party is not in a position to have any substantial influence on the war in Gaza. Reuters noted that neither Eliyahu nor his party would have inside knowledge about the Jewish state’s nuclear capabilities or the authority to activate them.
Following the comment, Netanyahu’s office said, “Eliyahu’s statements are not based in reality. Israel and the IDF are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory.”
The New York Post reported that during the interview, Eliyahu went on to say that he “pray[s] and hope[s]” for the return of the Israeli hostages that were taken by members of Hamas in early October but added that “there is a price to be paid in war.”
“Why are the lives of the abductees, whose release I really want, more important than the lives of the soldiers and the people who will be murdered later?” Eliyahu asked.
When asked about Palestinian civilians who find themselves caught in the crossfire of the conflict, he said that “they can go to Ireland or deserts,” adding that the “monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves.”
He continued by questioning international calls for help of the Palestinian people, saying “we wouldn’t have given the Nazis humanitarian aid.”
“There’s no such thing as innocents in Gaza.”
Though Eliyahu attempted to soften what he meant after the backlash, he said it was still right to “disproportionately” respond to terrorism. However, there are those who believe Netanyahu did not go far enough in suspending Eliyahu.
It is still uncertain how the Israeli government intends to safely retrieve the Jewish hostages who were abducted in early October, when members of Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel.
Israel war: Israel PM Netanyahu suspends minister Eliyahu as he says ‘nuking Gaza an option’www.youtube.com
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