During an interview for the World Economic Forum at Davos (Thursday), President Yitzhak Herzog claimed that the withdrawals that Israel made led to terrorism: “It’s a paradigm that’s clear.”
The President addressed the issue of the withdrawal from Gaza, arguing that leaving territory only led to more terror. “Is it really true that the paradigm is necessarily only withdrawal or pull out or things like that? When you pull out you get terror. That's what (Israelis) saw.”
He added that: “We pulled out of Gaza we got terror. It's a paradigm that's clear. We got 10,000 missiles on our heads from the moment we pulled out. There was terror before but we have to admit there was terror afterwards. So these are questions that are legitimate to us. Nonetheless, looking for the big picture in the future.”
“We must work as hard as possible to have a dialogue with the Palestinians”
Herzog continued: “Of course, it's a must that we must work as hard as possible to find new ways and means to have a dialogue with our neighbors of Palestinians and offer a future. But for that the basic question of every Israeli will be - especially after October 7 - what guarantees our well-being? This is a big thing. This is an emotional stage we're in.”
Regarding the two-state solution, Herzog asked: “I think that when nations come forward and say “two state solution”, they have to first deal with a preliminary question, which is a core question for human beings. Are we offered real safety? What will be the safety? What's the outcome of any process? And can we guarantee safety for ourselves and our people.”
He buttressed this argument by saying “I must tell you in the last two years before October 7, there was a huge wave of terror that the world ignored. Michal and me, we went to bereaving families who have suffered horrible terror attacks and nobody gave a damn in the world. So we have to understand that's why I'm saying. Guys, terror is off. The world has to fight with no mercy in order to have a hope to bring real hope for the future.”
