Israel facing security ‘earthquake’ and ‘battle for national survival,’ expert says – National | 24CA News
A former deputy nationwide safety advisor for Israel is asking the assault by Hamas this weekend an “earthquake” for the nation and folks’s sense of safety, and says the battle has grow to be a “battle for national survival.”
Chuck Freilich made the feedback in an interview with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson on Sunday, a day after Hamas militants launched a slew of rockets into Israel’s south, in addition to assaults by land and sea, in what’s being seen as an unprecedented assault.
More than 600 in Israel have been killed, in accordance with authorities numbers, with claims by Hamas of capturing army troopers and studies of residents additionally being kidnapped.
“This is one of the worst developments in Israel’s history. It’s the first time since the War of Independence in 1948 that Israeli territory was occupied even briefly,” stated Freilich, a professor of political science at Columbia University and beforehand a deputy nationwide safety adviser in Israel.
“This is an earthquake for Israel, militarily, psychologically, the sense of people’s security, and it’s, I believe, a total different change in the situation, which is going to require responses by Israel on a completely different level. We cannot accept this.”
In the wake of Saturday’s assaults, Hamas has claimed the quantity it has captured was “several times greater” than dozens and had been unfold all through the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army has confirmed a “substantial” variety of individuals had been kidnapped, suggesting in authorities statements that the quantity is greater than 100.
An Egyptian official advised the Associated Press that Israel has reached out to Cairo for assist in guaranteeing the protection of these kidnapped, with Egypt’s intelligence chief having contacted each Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group for data.
Asked how Israel may method the hostage scenario and whether or not a possible prisoner trade may happen, Freilich stated he’s not towards negotiations however stated a 2011 trade by Israel that noticed greater than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners launched for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit set a harmful precedent.
“We can’t possibly come up with the kind of numbers they (Hamas) might want for the magnitude of the hostages today,” Freilich stated.
“I don’t think we’re in a negotiating place at this point. The military operation has to take place and, of course, things will be done to try and minimize the impact on the hostages. But it has to take place regardless of that consideration.”
“I understand how horrific what I’m saying is, that if I had a loved one there, I might be taking a different position,” he continued. “But the state of Israel cannot allow what has happened to stand and we cannot give in to this kind of extortion. This is, in essence, a battle for pretty much for national survival.”
Following Saturday’s assault, there have additionally been questions by safety specialists surrounding what some have known as a significant intelligence failure. Both CNN and BBC are amongst these citing American and Israeli intelligence and safety officers as saying it’s not clear how the assault was not detected earlier and prevented.
Frielich stated although intelligence companies “blow it sometimes,” he believes Hamas was benefiting from the home turmoil being seen in Israel amid social divisions and big protests over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reforms.
“The so-called judicial reform, I call the judicial wrecking ball, which tore Israeli society apart (and) which clearly weakened the IDF (Israel Defense Forces),” he stated. “We’re seeing it now and they (Hamas) believe that this was a unique timing from their perspective, that there would never be a better time to attack Israel. They were proved right.”
While a lot of the preventing has been targeted on the south of Israel, some preventing additionally erupted Sunday within the north throughout a short trade of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, elevating fears of a broader battle.
With this extra battle this weekend, Freilich raised issues that whereas there could possibly be a “clear danger” of escalation within the West Bank, the “real danger” is whether or not there could be an escalation with Hezbollah and probably with Iran as nicely.
“There is certainly a danger of a regional escalation with a multi-front war from this perspective,” he stated. “It’s hard to fight multi-front wars, but I believe we are in a war situation and considerations, of course, we try to minimize the chances of escalation, but all bets are off now.”
–with recordsdata from The Associated Press and Reuters
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
