Minister Bennett blasts DM Liberman's 'reward to terrorists' in easing Gaza restrictions so fast, saying he reject the coming agreement with Hanas which constitutes prize in return for 140 days of terror, adding it will only enable Hamas to rearm and become 'Hezbollah 2.' -
Despite the fact several fire balloons were still sent in recent days from Gaza into Israel, Defense Minister Liberman on Tuesday announced that Israel would reopen the Kerem Shalom Crossing into Gaza and extend the Strip's permitted fishing zone on Wednesday morning.
The defense minister said this was meant to be a sign to Palestinians in the Strip that "maintaining the quiet is first and foremost in the interest of Gaza residents."
The decision was announced following a meeting between Liberman and a number of senior defense officials on Tuesday afternoon.
"During the discussion, it was decided that if the relative quiet along the Gaza border that began this week continues until tomorrow morning, the Kerem Shalom Crossing will reopen at 9 a.m. tomorrow and the fishing zone will be extended back to 10.4 miles from the coast,", his office said.
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Kamil Abu Rokon, a representative from the Shin Bet security service and other senior defense officials took part in the meeting.
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While the defense officials were meeting, 4 incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip landed outside Kibbutz Erez in the Sha'ar Hanegev region of southern Israel, though they failed to spark a fire.
Another flaming balloon did caused a fire in the morning at the Eshkol Regional Council.
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Education Minister Naftali Bennett accused Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday of rewarding Hamas with a prize in return for 140 days of terror after the latter announced the decision that will see the easing of restrictions on the Gaza Strip if the Hamas leaders continue to ensure quiet on the border with Israel:
"Liberman's gestures to Hamas are a mistake- We will vote against the Israel-Hamas agreement," a press statement by Bennett's office read.
The statement said that the temporary ceasefire would only enable the Hamas to rearm and regroup for the next round of fighting with Israel and would turn Hamas into "Hezbollah II.""This is a prize in return for 140 days of terror, rockets, snipers and incendiary balloons," Bennett said. "This 'quiet' will award Hamas total immunity to replenish tens of thousands of rockets threatening all parts of the country, and allow them to launch a war against Israel at a time and under conditions most convenient to them."
The outcome, he added, would "ultimately lead to the opening of two highly dangerous fronts, to the north and to the south-at a time determined by the enemy and under their conditions."
Bennett went on to stress that after 140 days under arson attack and rocket fire, Israel could not reward terrorists without the return of two Israeli civilians being held captive by Hamas and the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul who were killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014."The terrorists will learn that terror pays, and Israel's power of deterrent will be harmed,"."There is an alternative that does not involve a ground operation into Gaza, which we oppose," he said. "We have initiated a plan to eliminate the terror from Gaza, without manoeuvring ground forces into Gaza, yet exacting a decisive price from Hamas. We put forward the plan in the relevant security forums-at this stage it has not yet been adopted, but we will continue to promote this."
Photos: DM Liberman at the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza; A street in Sderot during the latest round of violence with Hamas last week, in which 200 rockets were fired into Israel; Ministers Liberman (L) and Bennett
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