Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana told Newsmax on Thursday that there is only one path to ending the cycle of violence plaguing Israel — fully defeating Hamas through a decisive military invasion of Gaza.
In an interview with Carl Higbie, host of "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Ohana delivered a blunt message to those in the Knesset who oppose such an operation: there is no alternative.
"Well, there is no other option," Ohana said. "If you strive to end the cycle of violence, you must finish Hamas. And there is no other way than invading Gaza, confronting them, fighting them."
Ohana pointed to Israel's 2005 disengagement from Gaza — carried out under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon — as proof that previous attempts to avoid conflict by withdrawing had failed.
"We left Gaza completely 20 years ago. Soldiers, civilians, settlers — we even took the dead out of the graves because we knew what would happen if we leave them there," Ohana recalled. "Some expected that Gaza would become the Singapore of the Middle East. ... Others said, maybe not the Singapore of the Middle East, but at least from that region we will face no more violence."
Instead, he said, Hamas turned years of foreign aid into weapons and terror infrastructure.
"They could have paved the stairways of Gaza in gold," Ohana said. "What they did instead is dig terror tunnels under their villages, to get missiles and rockets that would go further and further to kill more and more Israelis. And now, Oct. 7."
For Israel's top legislator, the conclusion is clear:
"For this to end, you must finish Hamas," Ohana said.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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