“Peace
agreements are signed between hostile sides,” Lt. Gen. (ret.) Dan Haloutz told
The Media Line. “We have to remember that the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) in the old days was not much different than the Hamas.”
He also
expressed confidence the Egyptian military would be able to instill order in
the Sinai Peninsula which Palestinian gunmen have used as staging ground for
attacks on Israel. But he warned that the Israeli defense establishment must
beef up its capabilities to defend itself for any possible changes in the
future.
Eight
Israelis were killed in an attack staged from the Egyptian border, prompting a
diplomatic crisis with Cairo over the death of Egyptians security personnel in
the incident and several days of fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel
is concerned that the once quiet border with Egypt is heating up as the
transitional government that succeeded Husni Mubarak struggles to maintain law
and order in the Sinai.
“I
believe that we should give the Egyptians the space to show their abilities to
control Sinai Peninsula. They have their abilities. I have no doubt and they
will manage once they will be determined to do it. The level of determination
is getting higher and higher and from my point of view, I think the Egyptians
will take of care it,” he said.
“We have
looked at Egypt as a major, powerful country in the Middle East and we should
look at the peace agreement as a strategic asset,” Haloutz added. “And we have
to take the necessary steps to ensure that if and when the other side is not
fulfilling the mission in the most proper way we will have the answers to take
care of our people.”
Haloutz,
who joined the opposition Kadima Party just eight months ago, was answering
queries from The Media Line at a briefing with foreign reporters in Jerusalem.
He was also hawkish when it comes to dealing with Iran’s quest for nuclear
weapons.
“Iran’s
nuclear project is not an Israeli problem,” Haloutz said. “The Iranian nuclear
capability is risking the entire Gulf countries, Middle East countries, some of
the European countries and globally because once you have nuclear capability
you don’t have to carry it only by missiles.”
“So any
necessary step should be taken in order to prevent them from reaching the point
of having military nuclear capability,” said Haloutz, who was the first former
commander of the air force to rise to the position of chief of the general
staff.
Haloutz,
who was forced to resign a few months after the 2006 Second Lebanon War,
criticized the current government under Benjamin Netanyahu for not taking more
courageous steps to advance peace initiatives with the Palestinians.
“In the
background of Israeli society, terrorism is part of the arguments which are
restricting and preventing some courageous steps that should be taken in order
to go forward with the two-state solution,” Haloutz said.
The
Palestinians are split between the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority in
the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
“From my
point of view and the Palestinian point of view we are speaking about two
separate authorities,” he said. “If the Palestinians are going to declare that
they have two separate entities then we have to negotiate with two separate
entities. …We are not electing the ones to represent the Palestinians.”
“From the
Palestinian’s point of view to negotiate with two Palestinian authorities would
be a huge mistake,” he added.
Haloutz’s
comments came hours after Israel admitted it had arrested the top Hamas leader
in the West Bank. Security forces nabbed Sheikh Hassan Yousef when he tried to
pass an army check point south of Nablus, the West Bank’s largest city. Yousef
is a founder of Hamas and was released from Israeli prison last month as a good
will gesture after serving five years for terrorist activities.
Israel
and Hamas have had negotiations through third parties such as Egypt and Germany
to broker cease fire deals or prisoner swaps. Hamas has refused to hold direct
talks with Israel because it would never recognize “the enemy” and Israel has
rejected direct relations because it sees Hamas as a terrorist organization.
