There is ‘no advantage’ to continuing Israel’s military campaign: Ehud Olmert

With us now is the former Prime Minister of Israel on that Prime Minister, very good to have you back. Do you draw that distinction, Sir, that your former ambassador did Danny Denon, who now is a member of the Knesset, between a a a direct attack from Iran or one of its proxies? I mean in in generally Speaking, of course everything depends on everything. So it depends what will be the attack, if there will be an attack. I personally think that we talk too much and we speculate too much and we offer all kinds of hypothesis as to what we will do, if we will do, when we will do, why we will do. I think that the less we speak, the better off we are. So to be honest with you, I don’t know what the nature of the Iranian attack will be. If there will be, I hope there will not be. But if there will be, and it’s likely I don’t know what the nature will be when there will be an attack, we’ll have to think and to act in a smart manner, in a responsible manner, which we haven’t done lately. So does that mean Prime Minister, here we are talking about people talking, The government right now has been talking, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has been talking that an attack by Iran might trigger a counter attack where we seek out facilities, nuclear and otherwise, I guess in Iran. How do you feel about that? Do you think that takes this to a whole nother level? Obviously if there will be an Iranian attack and then depending on how and what and where, and then if there will be an Israeli reaction, then of course it can start up a certain exchange which can get out of control. Therefore, I I hope, I pray that all of the sides will be responsible and will be restrained. I know it’s not easy for the Iranians but they have manifested in the past that they know how to keep a certain restraint and I hope that after the attack we will think before we act. You have been very critical of a Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu you had said and and of course it carried out at half. Given the fact that a former Prime Minister back in January that it was time to start the war that you would said a month later that Benjamin Netanyahu is overconfidence and arrogance actually led to the October 7th attacks. You do still stand by that. And does that mean if he does counterattack directly on Iran, you would be critical of that as well? Two different issues, as I said, depending on what the Iranian attack will be, if it will be, when it will be how, what type, what nature, what will be the possible consequences of such an attack? I hope that they will show a certain restraint. And I hope that they listen carefully to President Biden, to the prime ministers of Europe who cautioned them and warned them to be very careful. As to Netanyahu, Netanyahu, I think, yes, he is largely responsible, perhaps more than any person in creating the circumstances which made the October 7th possible. He downgraded the Palestinian Authority, which was a potential partner for peace negotiations with Israel. And he explicitly, openly and publicly said that financing Hamas through Qatar is a reasonable, responsible way of dealing with Hamas. He is the one that provided them with hundreds of millions of dollars that enabled them to build a military power, the underground city in Gaza, which made them, provided them the facilities and the the the power and strengths to carry on the attack. There is no question about it. And he kept saying all the time Hamas is deterred. We have frightened them, we have deterred them, they will not dare do any attack on Israel. And you know, you can’t help it. He is responsible. He was the chief executive. And in a normal society, when the chief executive fails explicitly, openly and publicly in this manner, he’s got to leave. That’s all. He failed. So you extended that to his plans at a time of his choosing to invade Rafa. You thought that would be a mistake. Do you still feel that way? Trust me, Neil. You know, I’ve been in these areas and I was sitting in those chairs where you have to take a decision and it depends on you. You can look around. You don’t see anyone that will take that decision for you. And I’ve been fighting with Israeli adversaries in the north against Hezbollah. In 2006, I ordered the destruction that the only reactor in Syria I I was in charge of the Cast Lead operation in Gaza. And I and I’m familiar with these circumstances at this point as an Israeli patriot, as someone who is deeply involved with the Israeli military and I know all the generals and all the commanders, there is nothing at this point that we can do in Rafa which will be significant to justify the costs that we will have to pay and particularly, you know, the humanitarian aspects. Now, this is not a simple story. You know, I, I thought that it was inevitable to attack the Hamas in Gaza. And I think that President Biden and Prime Minister Solak and Macron and Schulte in Germany all said, yes, Israel has a right to react. And we all knew that there are so many thousands of Palestinians in the Hamas is embedded inside the city’s underground, the hospitals underground, the private residences and so many possible casualties will be amongst civilians at this And and we have to to to bury the the moral burden that is part of this. Now at this point, what is the merit of killing another 203 hundred Palestinian terrorists? Many casualties amongst possible amongst civilians, many Israeli soldiers will be killed and we will lose the hostages altogether. So the first priority of Israel now is to bring back the hostages and if we need to stop the war, we should stop the war now. Gaza is a long story and we will have some time in the future, a way to somehow settle the account with the Gazans if we will have to At this point now, there is not any advantage in continuing this military campaign, in invading Rafa, in killing so many more the terrorists, in causing the deaths of so many non involved civilians, of losing so many Israeli soldiers and first and foremost of losing the hostages, which I think is the 1st and most fundamental mall obligation of the State of Israel to say Prime Minister, thank you very much. We were interested in getting your thank you. We also did reach out, by the way, to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The spokesperson responded and she is next.