Israeli FM Insists Top Hamas Politicians Are ‘Legitimate Targets’

Hawkish Lieberman Urges Ground Operation Against Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Sderot today, calling for an immediate invasion of the Gaza Strip, saying that Israel can’t stop rocket production simply with air strikes.

Lieberman panned talk of a ceasefire as “postponing a problem instead of dealing with it,” and insisted the rockets, none of which have caused any injuries in the most recent round of attacks, pose a threat not only to Sderot, but to all of central Israel as well.

Never one to quit while he’s ahead in making public pronouncements, Lieberman went on to call for military action against Gaza Premier Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, saying they and other top Hamas politicians must consider themselves “legitimate targets.”

Lieberman has been talking up a military reoccupation of Gaza for years, saying the Israeli military needs to carry out a “thorough cleansing” of the tiny strip of all opposition to Israel.

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.