In the video: Lt. Col. and former minister Yoaz Handel in an interview for his weekend show on Vala Plus/Still photo: Reuven Castro
To put a million and a half residents of Gaza into a secure compound inside the territory of Israel - this is the far-reaching plan proposed by former minister Yoaz Handel.
Precisely this radical solution, which the political system will surely find it difficult to remain indifferent to, could, according to Handel, hasten the defeat of Hamas - and thus assist in the return of the abductees held in the Gaza Strip and in achieving victory in the war.
Handel returned from the Gaza Strip after more than 120 days of reserve duty.
Military pressure, says the former minister in an interview with "Sophash" at the Walla Studio, is the only way to return the abductees. However, according to him, at the moment Israel is mostly showing hesitation. "We have stopped maneuvering in Rafah.
We don't apply enough pressure.
The entire population east of Kerem Shalom should be evacuated to a secure and closed tent city, with an orderly check for everyone, and there to concentrate all the humanitarian effort.
After that, anyone who moves there is a terrorist, a son of death.
What we have done so far in Gaza, above ground, has conveyed an important message.
We straightened them out so that they understand that we no longer deal with Jews.
But in the end we will also have to deal with Qatar: they are the main source of support for Hamas.
When we cut off Hamas from its sources of funding, it will fail."
So what does victory in the war look like in your eyes?
"The destruction of the center of mass of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Strip.
We need to get to the point where a child in Metula, Ofra or Kfar Gaza goes to bed without fear of having his family massacred."
"My knee hurt, while they were carrying a heavy weight. They are impressive women."
IDF female fighters inside the Gaza Strip/Official website, Tel Shelo
Handel returned from the reserves in Gaza in an almost uplifted mood.
He was deeply impressed by the displays of heroism and the achievements of the forces - and in particular of the women serving in combat roles.
"I saw women fighting, and I was blown away by it. During my time, my knee exploded from the ceramic vest, I saw them carrying heavy equipment. There were very impressive girls there, I didn't know that during my time in the IDF.
It takes time to recognize the reality."
Do you think it is possible to open up additional combat roles for them?
"I don't know if we need to change world orders now.
But if there were doubts about whether they are capable or not, whether they are fighters or not - those doubts are gone.
And beyond that, the army needs people.
I always believed in the people's army.
I was told that we don't need ultra-Orthodox in the army and that we don't need women in it.
Today we all understand that the army needs weapon holders - or weapon holders."
More in Walla!
Returning to politics?
"Reserve Party" led by Yoaz Handel will win 10 mandates
To the full article
"Every 18-year-old Israeli should do some kind of service, and that the good ones end up in the IDF." Recruiting ultra-Orthodox members of the Jewish Community/Reuven Castro
Handel often dwells on this point of the people's army and its importance in the interview.
When asked if the ultra-orthodox are the only ones who don't understand that the IDF needs every recruit, he replies: "It will have to undergo a significant change, and we will fight for it to change.
There are several aspects here.
First of all, the moral aspect: for five months now the mothers in my seat have been able to sleep only with pills, because their children are serving in Gaza or Lebanon.
It is immoral that there are families who live in fear of a knock and a door, and those who don't.
From the Jewish point of view, this is a mitzvah war.
And in the practical aspect, we need fighters."
Handel does not believe that the leaders of the ultra-orthodox, or the Arab, sector will work to encourage conscription. But besides conscription, there are other options. A significant service. We need to find a way to incentivize those who are going to enlist, and to prevent incentivization from those who are not going. Those who are not incentivized - should not receive a budget from the state. The dream, and I say this from the bottom of my heart, is that only those who serve will be able to vote in the elections, but it is really a dream."
"I wanted to bring in voters, but I failed."
Handel in the Walla studio/Reuven Castro
Handel has no expectations from the current political leadership either, to say the least.
In his view, the government's days are numbered.
"We need to give time to win the war. This government will eventually go. Even those who don't understand it now, and deny, repress and make spins, will eventually go. It's better for them to make decisions now for the benefit of the State of Israel and not for themselves. People need to take responsibility, understand that they have weight in what that happened, put the keys in and go home. At the end of the war, a strong, impartial commission of inquiry should be immediately established, without fluttering and without bragging. Within three months there will be interim conclusions, and immediately after that we should go to the elections. But now it is important to win, because it is in our blood."
Handel admits that his own experience in the political system was less successful.
When asked why he was expelled from the political system, he answered without confusion: "People are expelled because they failed in what they did. If I wanted to bring in voters, then I failed. I was not able to convince with my thesis of unity and of avoiding 'only not Bibi' or 'only Bibi' ". In politics there is a phase of gathering power, which I was not good at, and of releasing power, which I hope I was good at as the minister of communications with the fiber optic revolution."
Did you do any soul searching?
Bogi Ya'alon, Benny Gantz, Gideon Sa'ar, Ayelet Shaked - could you have a loyalty problem?
"You're right, I'm not loyal to anyone. I'm a person who thinks independently. I have no loyalty to a person, I have loyalty to an idea. Blue and White disbanded due to my disapproval of going with the partner - even if they offered me ten more times, I still wouldn't agree. In the next war, we need a Zionist coalition, in which everyone will be ready to vote in favor of defending the homeland."
"After they are evacuated, only deadly terrorists will remain in Gaza and we will be able to act."
Food distribution to the residents of Gaza/Reuters
Will he return to politics?
Handel does not provide a clear answer.
"The war did me harm. I thought politics was where it should be, but when I left home from the reserves I felt disgusted by what I saw. On October 6th we were ready to hate and eat each other, on October 7th Hamas was ready to destroy us, and on October 8th We experienced a day of ascension. I saw the people of Israel in their greatness. You look to the right and left and are in love with your people, after all the bad things that happened here before. Then I return from the reserves, read the news and see that they speak the same language as then. This is a huge gap between the feeling of ascension and what you see on the ground ".
However, he adds: "I appreciate that in the end politics is where changes are made. When I stood up for my principles in front of the joint, and when I did the fiber reform as Minister of Communications, I felt that I had made a change."
The full interview - on the show "His Weekend" on Vala Plus
More on the same topic:
Gaza war
War of Iron Swords
Women in the IDF
Haredim recruitment
Yoaz Hendel
Default October 7