by Israel Hayom Staff
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon tells U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon in NYC that Israel wants Gaza to "improve their economic situation" but not at the cost of allowing Hamas to rearm • Hamas has said it intends to build tunnels rather than homes, Ya'alon warns.
Defense Minister Moshe
Ya'alon meets with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York,
Monday
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Photo credit: Defense Ministry / Ariel Hermoni  |
Israel will not allow the reconstruction of
the Gaza Strip if Hamas continues to use construction materials to build
terror attack tunnels, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told U.N.
Secretary Ban Ki-moon during a meeting in New York on Monday.
During their meeting, Ya'alon and Ban
discussed the outcome of the recent Operation Protective Edge --
Israel's campaign in Gaza whose goal was to eliminate the threat of
terror tunnels and stop the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. The two
also discussed the continuing presence of U.N. peacekeepers in volatile
areas along Israel's northern border.
"We want the residents of Gaza to live in
dignity and prosperity, rebuild their homes and return to normal life,"
Ya'alon said. "But, we are very worried. Just yesterday Hamas
representatives said they intend to reconstruct the infiltration
tunnels, instead of rebuilding the homes of Gaza's residents."
Ya'alon stressed that he was in favor of
helping Gaza rehabilitate its economy, but stated that Hamas must not be
allowed to rearm. "It's in our interest for the residents of Gaza to
improve their economic situation and their lives, but it must be clear
that the funds and equipment are not used for terrorism, therefore we
are closely monitoring all of the developments," he said.
He addressed Ban's concerns over the fact that
Israel bombed U.N. facilities in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge,
lamenting the use of U.N. facilities for the storage of weapons and the
launchers as well as hiding wanted terrorists.
Ya'alon explained that the Palestinian
Authority was hesitant to assume responsibility over Gaza, despite its
repeated assertions that the West Bank and Gaza are one entity. He said
that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas habitually opts to
advance unilateral steps to delegitimize Israel and to appeal to
international institutions against Israel, rather than engaging in
direct talks with Israel to resolve the conflict.
Ya'alon also met with the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.,
Samantha Power on Monday, and voiced his appreciation for Israel's close
relationship with the U.S. "We very much appreciate your work and the
work of the United States on behalf of the State of Israel in the U.N.
in the face of numerous attempts to hurt us. The United States is
Israel’s strategic partner and greatest ally, and we within the Defense
Ministry enjoy this very much. The relationship with the U.S. is a
founding block in Israel's national security, a true treasure for us,
and we cannot allow anything to darken this relationship."
Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=20861
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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