Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon on Sunday reaffirmed his accusations regarding “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip during an interview on public radio Kan Reshet B. “I fully accept this expression,” he said, adding that “the problem is not with the IDF soldiers.” “I speak on behalf of the commanders serving in Gaza. They are being put in mortal danger and will be exposed to prosecution in the Criminal Court,” Ya’alon stressed. The former minister insisted that Israel “is no longer a democracy” until the government takes responsibility by establishing a national commission of inquiry.
Ya’alon claims to have wanted to “hold up a mirror” to calls for a dilution of the Gazan population and a return of Jewish settlements to the Gaza Strip, referring in particular to the statements of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “I must warn about what is happening there. War crimes are being committed here. No democracy has ever been brought before the Criminal Court in The Hague,” he warned.
These comments follow his interview given the day before to DemocratTV, where he declared: “The path that we are being led down now is that of conquest, of annexation, of ethnic cleansing – look at northern Gaza. A transfer, call it what you want, and the establishment of Jewish colonies.”
These statements provoked strong reactions. Likud responded that “Ya’alon has long since lost his bearings and his moral compass, and his defamatory remarks constitute a gift to the International Criminal Court and the camp of Israel’s enemies.” National Camp President Benny Gantz also objected to the remarks, writing: “This is not ethnic cleansing – the IDF is fighting terrorists and will continue to do so throughout the Gaza Strip.”
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