www.9news.com.au
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has blasted the country's
political leadership and the conduct of its
military, telling CNN he is no longer able to defend
Israel against accusations of
war crimes.
Olmert, who led the country from 2006-2009, pointed to Israel's 11-week blockade of humanitarian aid into
Gaza and the soaring number of
Palestinians killed.
"What is it if not a war crime?" he asked rhetorically in an interview with CNN.
He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right members of his government are "committing actions which can't be interpreted any other way".
Since the start of the war, Olmert has defended Israel abroad against accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. When women and children were killed, Olmert said he told officials and interviewers that Israel would not deliberately target civilians.
But 19 months into a war Olmert says should have ended a year ago, he believes he can no longer make that case. CNN spoke to Olmert following the publication of an op-ed by the former prime minister that was published
in Israel's Haaretz newspaper on Tuesday.
"What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians," he wrote.
Polls in Israel have repeatedly shown that most of the country supports a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would see the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza and an end to the war.
But Netanyahu has refused to commit to an end to the war, insisting that Israel's expanding military campaign in Gaza will continue until the defeat of Hamas.
When you literally are at " war " and your own people view you as the bigger threat than who you are at war with... should make people question their support yad think
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www.timesofisrael.com
Sixty-one percent of Israelis fear for the country’s democracy, according to a poll published Friday, which showed widespread skepticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reasons for continuing the war in Gaza and firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
Asked what the greatest threat to Israel is, 66% of respondents to the survey said it is the country’s internal rift in society, while 28% said it was security threats, and 6% said they didn’t know.
Consistent with the network’s recent polling, a large majority, 68%, supported signing a hostage deal with Hamas even if it meant ending the war against the terror group, while just 22% supported continued fighting in Gaza and 10% said they didn’t know.
Israelies are against this goverment but good luck getting a election. Gazans are against hamas. Good luck getting a election.. pa and westbank. Just getting screwed