The Prime Minister’s Office and a security source on Thursday declined to refute Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman’s claim that Israel is arming crime families and militias in Gaza to fight Hamas. He made the remarks Thursday in an interview on KAN Reshet Bet.
“Israel is working to defeat Hamas through various means, as recommended by all heads of the security establishment,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The security source was “shocked to see the serious and dangerous leak by Liberman. It seems that there are no limits to the cynicism and populism for the sake of self-promotion and narrow political ambitions.”
“These statements must be a glaring redline for anyone who cares about the security of the state,” the source told The Jerusalem Post. “They harm, first and foremost, our soldiers and put our hostages at risk. Israel’s interest is not to endanger the lives of our soldiers, but rather to use other means whenever possible.”
In the interview, Liberman said: “The Israeli government is transferring weapons to a group of criminals and offenders who identify with ISIS on the orders of the prime minister.”
“In my opinion, this did not pass cabinet approval,” he said. “This was with the knowledge of the head of the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency], but I don’t know how much the [IDF] chief of staff was privy to the matter.
Arming Hamas's opposition
Weapons were given to different militias within the Gaza Strip that oppose the rule of Hamas, KAN Reshet Bet reported. This was done so that the groups could defend themselves against the terrorist organization, the report said.
The Shin Bet declined to respond to the allegations, KAN Reshet Bet reported.