Meretz lawmaker Esawi Frej said Tuesday that Israel has to negotiate with Hamas directly, sans mediator.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Speaking with Tel Aviv-based 103FM Radio, Frej, who serves as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's regional cooperation minister, questioned the need for mediators when dealing with the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, saying Israel should handle the issue by itself.
As a matter of policy, Israel does not negotiate with terrorists and any talks with Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, or Hezbollah are conducted through mediators. Egypt has spearheaded any negotiations with Hamas for years, while Israel is usually assisted by an EU member-state when dealing with Hezbollah.
"The PLO was a terrorist group and [its leader Yasser] Arafat was an archterrorist. And [Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Ehud] Barak and [Yitzhak] Rabin all met with him and reached deals," Frej contended.
"Why do we need mediators to talk to Hamas? We should be talking to them directly, not through third-parties," he said.
Asked about potential fresh hostilities vis-à-vis the terrorist groups in Gaza, the minister said, "This ritual we started from 2005 until now – [terror] tunnels, missiles, demonstrations, balloons, wars, civilians being killed, the suffering and anguish of residents – this ritual keeps repeating itself.
"Unless we have the courage to think outside the box on how to resolve things, we are doomed to repeat them."
Finding a way to afford relief to Gaza, which is plagued by a dire economic crisis, "is also the right thing to do. Try to strike peace – that's also one way to go."
He noted that Meretz "has every confidence that the IDF knows how to handle" Hamas border riots – a tool the terrorist group said it would employ to pressure Israel to concede to its demands in the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire talks.
He further sent his wishes for a speedy recovery for Border Police officer Barel Hadaria Shmueli, 21, who was critically injured on Saturday during a border riot.
Asked if the IDF should eliminate the terrorism who shot Shmueli, Frej said," I say as a Meretz member – we trust the IDF whose job it is to defend. Every soldier must defend himself, and every fighter has orders that he receives according to the situation" on the ground.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
