Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended Minister Amijai Eliyahu’s participation in government meetings “until further notice” after he said that one of the possibilities in the war against the fundamentalist group Hamas could be the launching of an atomic bomb in the Gaza Strip.
Eliyahu’s subsequent clarification (“it was a phrase said metaphorically”) and the fact that he is in charge of an invented ministry called “Legacy” or “Heritage” (product of coalition agreements with the Likud after the elections a year ago year) and without any influence on the general management of the Government and the war in particular, it has not reduced the wave of criticism in Israel demanding that Netanyahu not only disavow his words but also dismiss him immediately.
The controversy arose this Sunday in an interview conducted on Kol BeRama radio. Eliyahu, who is part of a far-right party, showed his opposition to the Israeli Government’s decision to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza controlled by Hamas: “We would not have introduced humanitarian aid to the Nazis.” “So what, drop an atomic bomb on the Gaza Strip and that’s it?” he asked. “It’s one of the options,” he responded.
Beyond breaking Israel’s policy of ambiguity about membership or not in the club of nuclear powers and failing to take into account the consequences for Palestinian inhabitants in the Gaza Strip and Israelis in its surroundings, Eliyahu downplayed what could happen in such a case to the 241 people in the hands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad after their kidnapping 30 days ago. Eliyahu said that the fundamentalist group must be forced to release them, but asked why their lives are more important than those of the soldiers and added: “I pray and hope that they return healthy but there are prices to pay in war.” .
Netanyahu denounces that Eliyahu’s words “are disconnected from reality” and adds that his Army “operates in accordance with the highest standards of International Law to avoid harming innocent people. We will continue to do so until our victory.” “I condemn baseless words.” and irresponsible of Minister Eliyahu”; wrote Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on the X network, highlighting that “it is good” that Israel’s security is not in the hands of the radical politician.
The committee representing the families of the kidnapped expressed their indignation and discomfort towards Eliyahu, pointing out that what he said “goes against all the principles of Jewish and Israeli morality and conscience.”
Israeli sources admit that “his surreal words hurt and are used in Hamas’ monumental media campaign against Israel around the world since many do not know that he is someone of no importance.”