At the end of a topsy-turvy day that started with the prospect of a cease fire, and ended with intensive military action, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday evening that Israel would answer Hamas's rejection of a cease fire with stepped up attacks.
“If there is no ceasefire, our answer is fire,” Netanyahu said. He said that Hamas chose to continue the battle, and “will pay the price for that decision”
Netanyahu, speaking in Tel Aviv before convening the second security cabinet meeting of the day, said that there are many fronts in this particular battle: the operational one, diplomatic one, and the homefront.
“We are working in parallel on all these fronts with deliberation, consideration and experience to create a maximum freedom of action for Israel and the IDF,” he said.
He said it would have been preferable to solve the issues through diplomatic means, which is why Israel accepted the Egyptian proposal. “But Hamas is not giving us a choice other than to expand and intensify the campaign against it.”
He said this will continue until Israel's goals are achieved: a restoration of quiet and a significant hit to the terrorist organizations.
Alluding to Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman's criticism and statement earlier in the day that Israel needed to “go all the way” in Gaza, Netanyahu said these were moments when decisions needed to be taken calmly and not in a rash or demonstrative manner.
“I am determined to do the right thing, and I know that you rely on me and on us to ignore the background noise and focus on the main thing: to protect your security and your lives. We will do everything, everything, to ensure that the quiet returns to Israel.”