Former Knesset member Wilf calls for delaying Gaza reconstruction — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, former Knesset member Einat Wilf, who is running for parliament with the People of Israel party, said that the country’s next government should develop a plan for Gaza that would not include rebuilding the enclave at this stage. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, she said Israel’s policy should focus not only on taking weapons away from Hamas but also on weakening ideological support for the group.
Position on Gaza
According to Wilf, the main principle for the future government should be ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel. She mentioned the Peace Council and the 20-point plan, which, she said, define this goal at the outset.
Wilf believes that this is not only about disarming Hamas. In her view, changes are needed in the ideological attitudes of Gaza’s population: it should seek to build its own life rather than destroy what, she said, Jews have created.
The politician said reconstruction should begin when Gaza’s population is committed to rebuilding. She also said Israel should not treat Palestinians as people who can be appeased with additional funds, but should recognize them as opponents capable of changing.
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Conditions for participation in government
Wilf is third on the electoral list of the new People of Israel party, led by Yoaz Hendel. The political force emerged from an alliance between Hendel and economist Yaron Zelekha, head of the New Economic Party.
The party says it belongs neither to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor to the opposition bloc seeking to replace him. It advocates forming a broad Zionist government without extremists after the election.
Hendel and Zelekha said they are ready to join only a Zionist government and will demand the adoption of a law on universal military conscription before it is formed. Wilf also said that her preferred position in the next government would be that of foreign minister, and stressed the need to strengthen Israel’s ties with the Jewish diaspora after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
