Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has called on the United Nations to form a permanent global coalition to fight terrorism, and not solely focus on the Islamic State (IS) group.
"If the U.N. has a role, it is firstly to organize a coalition against terrorism. We need to stop letting all these countries make a profit on the side while fragmenting the united front against terrorism," he told the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism's 14th conference in Herzliya.
He suggested that the coalition establish fixed ideals, "so that [they] will not change according to the interests of countries and lead to hypocrisy and double standards.’’
The minister also said that the repeated confrontations with Hamas ‘’only serve to make the organization stronger’’ and that it now enjoys majority support among the Palestinian public.
“In recent polls Hamas has become the dominant factor,” he said.
The minister noted that the recent Operation Protective Edge was the third conflict Israel has fought with Hamas in six years and the Gaza-based terrorist group has survived each time.
Lieberman pointed out that with each of the operations, Cast Lead in 2008-2009, Pillar of Defense in 2012, and the conflict in July and August this year, Hamas has increased its rocket range.
Whereas six years ago, it was Sderot and the communities near the coastal enclave that were targeted, in 2012, rockets reached Tel Aviv and then this year Hadera, he said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists claimed they are digging attack tunnels from Gaza to use against Israel in future battles, according to a report published by the Qatari Al-Jazeera television network on September 4th.
IDF ground and air forces destroyed 32 tunnels during the course of 50 days of fighting in Operation Protective Edge, meant to foil such excavations beneath Israeli territory, as well as stop incessant rocket fire. Many of the tunnels ended in and adjacent to Israeli civilian communities alongside the coastal enclave.
“We are in a tunnel that is being dug by resistance fighters in this border area,” the reporter said as he makes his way down the cramped concrete-walled passage. ”What is remarkable about this tunnel is that it has been dug recently,” he noted. “As you can see, it is still being dug.”
“We are now inside one of the tunnels of the al-Quds Brigades,” a masked, uniformed Palestinian digger tells the reporter, “on which work began the minute the war on Gaza ended and the cease-fire was declared.”