The Islamic State's goal is to conquer Jerusalem, Kadima party chairman and former defense minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday. Speaking at a conference held by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Mofaz said Islamic State terrorists are active throughout the region, and are looking to move in to Jordan, Gaza and Lebanon. "But their goal is Jerusalem, just like Hamas.
Islamic State and Hamas are one, let us make no mistake. They are from the same village, and they are branches of the same tree," he said.
"The Islamic State beheads its victims, and Hamas operates with the same cruelty. True, this is not photographed. But anyone who heard the recording of the murder of the Israeli teenagers kidnapped three months ago, and the laughter of the Hamas men who shot them, understands that Hamas is no less barbaric than the Islamic State," Mofaz said. "Hamas is much more advanced. It uses rockets and attack tunnels. The Islamic State isn't there yet, but it's seeking to get there." Hamas employs terrorism as part of its strategy to head a Palestinian state in place of Fatah and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Mofaz argued.
"Hamas is parked on our border. Two months ago, I turned to the prime minister in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and proposed that we demand the disarmament of Gaza in exchange for its rehabilitation. Disarmament is a must. We can't not negotiate with the Palestinians on one channel, while allowing Hamas to dominate the lives of millions of Israelis in the second channel," he added.
He called for a demilitarized Palestinian state, with no army, missiles, or armored vehicles that can threaten Israel. "Hamas is stronger and bigger than the Islamic State. The Islamic State has about 15,000 members. Hamas is made up of 25,000 members. It can continue to function despite the very severe blow it absorbed [this summer]," said the Knesset Member and ex-IDF chief of staff.
In exchange for disarmament, Gaza could receive 50 billion dollars over five years for reconstruction, he said. This would "disconnect Hamas from [Gazan] civilians and give the Palestinian Authority an opportunity to move into Gaza, together with reconstruction." But if no arrangement that includes disarmament is reached, Israel will have no choice but to disarm Gaza by force, he warned. "Before we send in the army and our sons, we must try it through an arrangement.
If the world unites around this issue, and Israel works to unite the world around this, it can be achieved. If not, this will be done by force." Mofaz said Israel must convert the achievement of Operation Protective Edge to a series of diplomatic arrangements, including seeking a long-term arrangement with the Palestinian Authority. "It's true that we are a power, and can deal with our neighbors. But we need a long-term arrangement with the Palestinians. There is no other option.
This is the safeguard of Israel's future." Earlier, the Minister for Science, Technology and Space, and former head of the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] Yaakov Peri addressed the conference.
He argued that the biggest threat to Israel's welfare is still Iran, despite the brutality and growing scope of threats like the Islamic State.
"Iran succeeded in the past, and is now succeeding in building land bridges to Middle East states. It is strengthening extremists, and its proxies are in the Golan Heights," Peri said. "Despite the media quiet that has reigned here about this, especially from the chief spokesman [a reference to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu], our motto must remain stopping Iran's expansion in Syria and Lebanon, and stopping its nuclear program," he stated.
Meanwhile, a new Middle East is taking shape rapidly, Peri said, noting a new clear division between two camps; a radical Islamic camp versus moderate regional countries. "There is a clear and very disturbing rise of terror organizations, both Shi'ite and Sunni," he said.
Israel must "change its defense perceptions" to fit the new era, the minister said. "The struggle will mostly be asymmetrical. Threats and opportunities have to be differentiated," he added. Defensive components like Iron Dome air defenses must be strengthened, and money must be invested in intelligence and the creation of banks of enemy targets. At the same time, the former intelligence chief said, the "threat of classic all-out war hasn't fully passed." On the other hand, Peri said, a new regional coalition is emerging, made up of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the PA and Israel. He cited close military and diplomatic cooperation with Egypt, and the refusal of many Middle East states to endorse Hamas's demands. Recent calls by the Saudi foreign minister for peace with Israel can't be ignored in Jerusalem, Peri said.
He called for a regional conference with moderate Middle East states, and for the launching of a "general, regional maneuver that will include a solution to the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, and the rebuilding of a system of ties and forces in the area. This should start as soon as possible."