'Next escalation in Gaza will be more violent'
03/27/2012 15:15
Aharonovitch says the solution to Hamas rocket fire is "to be more aggressive," addresses plans for "aerial flotilla."
Smoke seen as rockets are fired from Gaza. Photo: REUTERS
The next confrontation between Israel and Palestinian terror organizations in
Gaza will be “more violent” than previous rounds, Public Security Minister
Yitzhak Aharonovitch warned on Tuesday.
The minister made the comments
during a visit to the police’s southern district, which dealt with five
consecutive days of rocket fire on regional cities, towns and villages earlier
this month.
While acknowledging the undesirability of being dragged into
another round of fighting in Gaza, the minister said that Hamas and other groups
are firing rockets into Israel “every day or two days, and the solution to that
is to be more aggressive,” according to Israel Radio.
Aharonovitch also
addressed plans by pro-Palestinian activists to land at Ben-Gurion Airport next
month as part of an “aerial flotilla,” and said that Israel is working with
other governments and foreign airlines to identify activists and stop them from
boarding planes. Police would not allow any disturbances at the airport, he
vowed.
Last year, only a small number of activists managed to circumvent
measures put in place by the state. Most of the activists were stopped at their
points of origin, or detained at Ben-Gurion Airport and deported.