While a majority of Israelis reportedly support the attack on Qatar, according to two opinion polls published on Friday, and the opposition aligns with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al Jazeera Mubasher last night that he regrets the assassination of Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya’s son and the injury of his wife.
اضافة اعلان
At the start of the interview, Olmert stressed that he does not represent Israel and criticized its government and Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying: “Netanyahu requested budgets for Gaza from Qatar, which later proved to be used to build Hamas’ military strength over the years.” He claimed that Netanyahu does not represent Israel or its citizens and highlighted that he has done everything possible to oppose him.
Olmert also criticized Hamas, calling its soldiers “terrorists” undeserving of mercy.
He added: “Two conditions must be considered before any assassination operation. First is timing. Here, there was an attempt to eliminate Hamas leadership amid negotiations to rescue hostages, which is an entirely inappropriate timing. Securing the release of the hostages should be Israel’s top priority. The second condition is location.”
Olmert noted that while he is not satisfied with Qatar, particularly because of its support for Hamas, Israel collaborates with Qatar to facilitate the release of hostages. He explained that the negotiating team travels to Doha and returns sequentially, and therefore, the attack in Qatar and the violation of its sovereignty should not have occurred.
In the interview, Olmert also called for prosecuting senior Israeli officials for their crimes, accusing the government and military of issuing orders to kill Palestinians. He stated that targeting the leaders of Hamas’ negotiating team indicates a lack of desire for negotiations or the release of hostages.
He concluded: “I want to express my regret for the death of Khalil Al-Hayya’s son and his wife. There was no need for them to become victims. We target terrorists, and we will continue to fight terrorism.” —(Agencies)
