Golan rules out an expanded war between Israel and Hezbollah (Associated Press)
Yair Golan, former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army and current member of the Knesset from the Meretz party, said that when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the Israeli public that he is capable of killing all the leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and saving all the Israeli hostages at the same time, he is lying to them.
Golan explained, in an interview at Reichmann University yesterday, Tuesday, that the Israeli government must return the hostages first, and then hope only later to reach Hamas, provided that its primary goal remains to prevent Hamas from returning to control the Gaza Strip.
The retired Major General in the Israeli army considered that Netanyahu's policy was based on weakening the Palestinian Authority and providing a kind of stability to Hamas since 2009, and he said that this was one of the basic factors that led to Israel's failure in the October 7, 2023 operation.
Golan pointed out that the Palestinian Authority, especially in 2009, was working better, and its security coordination with Israel was better, while “Hamas was at its lowest levels after Operation Cast Lead,” he claimed.
He added that Netanyahu, in return, worked to change the balance of power because a “weaker Palestinian authority” would allow the construction of more settlements, according to him.
Regarding the post-war stage, Golan says that Israel cannot hand over Gaza directly to its residents, adding, “I do not believe that we have a partner in Gaza. We will start with very strong international cooperation, and only after that will we find among the residents of Gaza those who can manage their own lives,” suggesting that The Palestinian Authority is responsible for managing the border crossings in the Gaza Strip, at least in the first phase, with its role increasing later.
Regarding the situation in northern Israel, Golan said that if he were in Netanyahu’s place, he would have called on most of the residents of the north to return to their homes already, even without a diplomatic agreement with Hezbollah, adding that some villages very close to the border will need to wait a longer period, and he said that cities like Ras Naqoura It lies outside the range of anti-tank missiles, and its residents must return because it is no more threatened than Nahariya, which has not been evacuated.
Golan expected that there would not be a large-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah because the United States and Iran do not want it, and Washington will deter Israel, while Tehran will deter Hezbollah, according to his vision.
Source: Israeli press