Former Defense Minister, MP Yoav Gallant, strongly criticized his predecessor Moshe Ya'alon who accuses Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. This confrontation comes after Ya'alon's controversial statements on Israeli military operations. “Ya'alon's words are a lie that helps our enemy and harms Israel,” Gallant said. “I saw IDF soldiers and commanders up close as I led the difficult war against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. The IDF acted to the highest standards in this complex war that was imposed on us .”
Gallant stressed that “the instructions and orders were always given in accordance with the law and the spirit of the IDF.” He suggested that Ya'alon “not discredit his security past, learn the facts, retract and apologize to IDF soldiers.”
In his interview with Democrat TV, Ya'alon said: “The path they are taking us down now is leading us towards occupation, annexation and ethnic cleansing. Look at northern Gaza, the transfer, call it what you want, to establish Jewish colonies there. That's the objective.”
Ya'alon continued his criticism by detailing the situation on the ground: “What is happening there? There is no more Beit Lahia, no more Beit Hanoun, they are currently operating in Jabaliya, and basically , they are emptying the area of its Arabs.” He added: “We must not be confused, because those who want to confuse us are the ones who are currently leading us towards nothing less than devastation.”
