Galant to Hezbollah: 'We will push Lebanon back 100 years' - Ido Ben Porat

by Ido Ben Porat

Housing Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) warns that if Hezbollah drags Israel to regional conflict, 'we will push Lebanon back a hundred years'

Minister Galant with Ambassador David Friedman

Photo: Dovrot

Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu), participating in the AIPAC conference in Washington, is convinced that elections in Israel are not forthcoming. He also sent an explicit threat to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and expects Israel and the Trump administration to cooperate in curbing the Iranian threat from reaching the Mediterranean.

In an Arutz Sheva interview, Galant was asked about the future of construction in Judea and Samaria and about the efforts to achieve a consented formula for construction. "I think that there are things which should be left for negotiations," he said. "Obviously things are different than with the previous administration. We also have other fronts, we need American support for what is happening on our northern border. The Iranians are gaining strength and trying to take control of Syria and this has its own repercussions."

Galant stressed that "there is no difference in Israel's policies. We will defend ourselves and not allow Hezbollah to gain strength. We will not allow Syrian soil to become a fertile ground for smuggling game-changing weapons to be used against Israel."

"This must be done in a clear, careful and balanced way in order not to be dragged into a situation we do not want. If Nasrallah and the Hezbollah will make a serious mistake and try and drag Israel into the war, we will push Lebanon back a hundred years."

Galant says that "nobody in our region wants Iranian involvement in Syria, neither the Sunni states nor Turkey and certainly not the Europeans who are concerned with the flood of refugees towards Europe. I believe that after the battle in Syria is concluded the Russians will not want Iranian involvement. They are using them in the battle because there are no Russian soldiers."

"In this situation," he said, "a coordinated action by Israel and the US could push the Shiites back into their territories - Hezbollah to Lebanon and Iranians to Iran, and could also give de facto recognition to Israel's sovereignty on the Golan Heights."

Galant referred to the coalition crisis regarding the broadcasting corporation and expressed hope that there would not be elections.

"Whoever perceives the dangers facing Israel on its northern border, the possibilities of confrontation and terror from Gaza and the economic and housing requirements, anyone like this, whether it is the prime minister or the finance minister, realizes the burden of responsibility on them. I presume they will find a way to reach an agreement. The prime minister and finance minister are intelligent seasoned politicians, they will find a way to position the coalition in a way that can help the people of Israel," concluded Galant.


Ido Ben Porat

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227370

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