Moshe Ya’alon speaks at a demonstration against legal reform Photo: Moti Kimhi
Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe “Bogi” Ya’alon has caused controversy in an interview with DemocratTV, saying that Israel is “moving towards annexation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza”. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post.
In a conversation with TV presenter Lucy Aharish, Ya’alon explained that Israel’s current course includes conquest, annexation, and ethnic cleansing. “Look at the northern Gaza Strip – the displacement, whatever you want to call it – and the creation of Jewish settlements. This is the reality,” he said. According to him, the majority of Israelis favour disengagement from Gaza, not annexation, and called on the government not to drag the country down a path that goes against the wishes of its citizens.
According to Ya’alon, 70 per cent of citizens support the concept of a Jewish, democratic and liberal state with separation, and the current leadership, in his opinion, is leading the country to self-destruction.
Aharish was surprised by the former minister’s words: “You just used a phrase that I didn’t think I would hear you use – ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Do you really think we are heading in that direction?” Ya’alon replied: “Why say ‘we are’? What is happening there now? Beit Lahiya has been destroyed, Beit Hanoun has been destroyed. Operations continue in Jabaliya, actually clearing the territory of Arabs.”
Ya’alon also criticised the Israeli government for not having a clear direction in the war, noting that the conflict continues without an end in sight and a clear goal. He has also previously criticised members of the national unity cabinet, such as Benny Gantz and Haadi Eizenkot, for what he sees as their failure to take decisive action and for merely preserving their own political existence.
