Defense Minister Israel Katz today addressed opposition figures and media critics who opposed last week’s Israeli strike in Syria against Turkish military entrenchment. “Lucky they have no influence today, and we very much hope for Israel’s security that they won’t reach positions of influence with such positions in the future either,” Katz said. Israel struck a Syrian base last week after identifying Turkish intentions to establish a military presence there. In his statement Sunday, Katz took aim at the inconsistent criticism that followed.
1+Katz highlighted the zigzag in how critics interpreted the strike: “At first, some commentators and news anchors clinging to the margins of their definition as journalists, and some opposition leaders, said the strike in Syria was unnecessary and done for political considerations. After it was clarified that the IDF recommended the strike based on clear intelligence, and the political echelon carefully considered and made the decision, they moved to an alternative version: “The statements by the prime minister and defense minister toward Erdoğan and the warnings that we won’t allow Turkey to entrench itself in Syria and endanger Israel’s security—unnecessary and dangerous. Mustn’t anger Erdoğan, as if we went on some evening stroll with a light breeze in the treetops unrelated to anything—and Erdoğan is actually some kind of Zionist enthusiast,” Katz argued.
1+At the end of his statement, Katz returned cynically to the standing of those who opposed the strike: “Lucky they have no influence today, and we very much hope for Israel’s security that they won’t reach positions of influence with such positions in the future either.” Among those who expressed criticism of the Israeli strike in Syria was opposition candidate in the upcoming elections Yair Golan. “The strike in Syria is a defiant and dangerous move that brings us closer to confrontation with Turkey and deepens the rift with our allies, led by the United States. Israel needs leadership that knows how to use force to achieve security, not to create another war for political survival,” Golan wrote in a statement addressing the strike.