Netanyahu: Israel Prepared to Resume Gaza War

Military Chief Says All Objectives Already Accomplished

In a speech at Police National Headquarters to tout the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the war dealt a decisive blow to factions in the Gaza Strip, while insisting Israel is “prepared” to start a new attack at any time.

Though Netanyahu originally couched the comment as a readiness to retaliate if attacked, he later went on to suggest that Israel would decide “when to act, against whom and in what fashion,” saying that the ceasefire was good “for the moment.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak seemed to take a similar position, saying in comments today that Israel might get into another fight with Hamas “in the near future,” while insisting the goals were all achieved.

Army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz also said that all of the objectives of the war were already accomplished, which raises both the question of what the goals actually were, and if they are all achieved why Netanyahu is talking up another war just a day later.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.