In a rare interview with a Palestinian newspaper, Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman made it clear that Hamas, the terrorist organisation that runs the Gaza Strip, will not survive another attack on Israel.

"If Hamas begins a new round of fighting, that will be its last war," Lieberman told daily Al-Quds. ‘’We will destroy them completely," he added.

According to the Lieberman, the Islamic group has spent at least half a billion dollars on military infrastructure in Gaza over the last few years. "Israel has no intention of conquering the Gaza Strip or beginning a new war, but if a war is forced upon it, the campaign will be destructive for Hamas," the minister said.

He said Hamas has spent at least half a billion dollars on military infrastructure in Gaza over the last few years. "Israel has no intention of conquering the Gaza Strip or beginning a new war, but if a war is forced upon it, the campaign will be destructive for Hamas," Lieberman clarified.

He added that "Israel will be the first to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip and to invest in a seaport, an airport and in the Karni and Erez industrial zones -- if the tunnel digging, rocket launching and weapons smuggling are stopped," but he made it clear that "Israel will not hold any dialogue with Hamas."

In the interview, Lieberman also criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. "If there are elections in the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen [Abbas] will be defeated. Abbas is not capable of making tough decisions for the Palestinian people or of signing a permanent agreement that also includes the status of Jerusalem."

He went on to say that Abbas ‘’leads a corrupt regime that violates human rights, women's rights and minorities' rights in the Palestinian territories.’’

by Yossi Lempkowicz