Former IDF deputy chief and Meretz MK Yair Golan on Tuesday said that when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the Israeli public that it is possible to kill the entire Hamas leadership and to save all of the Israeli hostages at the same time, he is lying.
Speaking from Reichman University, Golan said that the government must first return the hostages and only later hope to reach Hamas, with the key being preventing Hamas from returning to control of Gaza.
The former deputy IDF chief also accused Netanyahu's policy of weakening the Palestinian Authority and stabilizing Hamas in 2009 as being one of the key sources leading to the October 7 failure to stop Hamas's massacre.
Golan said that especially in 2009 the PA was operating better and was working better security-wise with Israel, whereas Hamas was at a low after Operation Cast Lead.
Altering the balance of power
In contrast, Golan said that Netanyahu worked to alter the balance of power since a weaker PA would allow building more settlements.
Next, he said that the IDF could not directly hand Gaza over to Gazans, saying, "I don't think we have a partner in Gaza. We will start with very strong international cooperation," and only later to find Gazans who can run their own lives.
Golan said that the PA must run at least Gaza's border crossings, but could have a larger role also.
Regarding the North, Golan called on the government to tell most of the northern residents to already return to their homes even without a diplomatic deal with Hezbollah and without a larger war to clear all of the terror group's forces up to the Litani River.
"A true leader would tell the northern residents to start to go back," he said.
Acknowledging that some villages very close to the border would need to wait longer, he said cities like Rosh Hanikra are out of range from anti-tank missiles and should return, as they are no more threatened than Nahariya, which was not evacuated.
He said that there will not be a big war because the US and Iran do not want one, and Washington will deter Jerusalem, while Tehran will deter Beirut.