Last week we faced a Campaign in Gaza that drifted into 9th
of Av (Hebrew Calendar). All of the (defense)
establishment was triggered. We knew that there would be
extremists from both sides who will seek to fan the flames
on the Temple Mount, we knew that the Islamic Jihad
will try to spart Jerusalem. Therefore, we called for a situation
assessment with the Minister (Internal Security) and the (Police)
Commissioner, Jerusalem District Chief, and also the (IDF) Chief of
General Staff and Defense Minister and ISA Director ― and we asked
them, how to we prevent Jerusalem from igniting on one of the most
explosive dates that exist. And after all of the intelligence
was laid before us, the commissioner looked at us
and said ― “we know how to do it. If we deploy enough officers
for this task we will ensure that Jerusalem will not become
another battle front.
You know, there is a rule in a life of a country that you never get credit
for averted catastrophes. Because, if the catastrophe was
averted, no one knows that it was supposed to happen.
I tell you that if we didn’t have an advanced, professional
and determined police, a catastrophe would have taken
place in Jerusalem on 9th of Ave. It was prevented only because
we have one of the best police forces globally.
I concluded a situation assessment at the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet)
with ISA Director Ronen Bar. I met managers who took part in
the Operation (Breaking Dawn) who displayed extraordinary
capabilities in sectors of Intelligence, Cyber, Technology
and Operational activity. This superiority of the state of Israel
versus terror organizations we will continue to enhance
by all our security bodies combined. We summarized the joint activity
of operation “Breaking Dawn” in which the intelligence capabilities
of the ISA and Military Intelligence proved themselves, which are
a key (ingredient) to the pin-point operational success ― all the while
diminishing any collateral damage, as much as possible.
Also, at this very moment, IDF and ISA forces and operating ―
among others, against Hamas in Gaza, in parallel to activity aimed
at bolstering the moderate (Palestinian) forces, which is rooted
in deep-understanding of reality on the ground.
The rockets, which Hamas is building, the tunnels which they are
digging, harm the residents of Gaza and delay (the territory’s)
economic development. Hamas’s efforts to bolster (militarily)
are foiled and dealt with at any given moment, as we could see when
we unveiled the (offensive) tunnel, yesterday.
The State of Israel will continue to act to preserve stability and will
continue to hold Hamas responsible over the territory (Gaza Strip).
Any breach will exact a price tag.
From 1947 to the present day, Israel has committed 50 massacres
in Palestinian villages and cities, in Deir Yassin, Tantura, Kafr Qasim
and many others, 50 massacres, 50 Holocausts, and until today,
and every day there are casualties killed by the Israeli military,
our request is to say enough, come towards peace.