Operation Protective Edge
Netanyahu: IDF operation against Hamas in Gaza ‘may take time’
By HERB KEINON, YAAKOV LAPPIN
07/08/2014 20:56
IDF chief Gantz: Israel will take all time needed to reach victory over Gaza terrorists; prime minister instructs IDF to broaden military campaign; says all other efforts to restore quiet were ignored.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post
As a rocket was intercepted over Tel Aviv, authority was given to call up 40,000 reservists, and a terrorist infiltration from the sea was foiled, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu urged the nation Tuesday night to have patience, saying Operation Protective Edge that began earlier in the day “may take time.”
“We are not eager for battle,” he said in a recorded video statement, “but the security of our citizens and children takes precedence over all else.”
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He said his decision to expand the operation came only after all other efforts to restore the quiet were ignored and Hamas opted for escalation.
“From the perspective of the terrorist organizations, all of Israel is part of one front, and all Israeli citizens are targets,” he said. “Therefore we must stand together as one – united and sure of the justice of our cause. We are acting with determination and assertiveness to return the quiet, and we will continue to do so until the quiet is restored, so that our citizens and children can live in security.”
Netanyahu stressed that the IDF’s actions were aimed at Hamas, and not at innocent citizens. By contrast, he said, Hamas is intentionally hiding behind Palestinian civilians, and it will be responsible if they are accidentally harmed.
