"The events of October 7 are the biggest failure of the state. After the end of the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must agree on a date for the elections in order to prevent another rift among the people. Whoever receives the people's trust will form a government," former justice minister Ayelet Shaked said in an interview with Maariv.
According to her, "There is no realistic chance of changing the composition of the government without elections. Setting a date for the elections will prevent renewed rifts and mass demonstrations among the people. This is the minimum the current government must do."
Shaked, who has become more private upon her retirement from politics, doesn't reveal if she has any political plans in the future and told Maariv that: "Israel is in a very complex situation. Sometimes I look at the situation with great sadness, but I am optimistic by nature. There are wonderful people, and you can see it in the generation of soldiers and civil society. I will not talk about my future political platform, and I don't know if it'll happen."
Shaked: "War will end when we have full military control of Gaza"
In response to a question about the end of the war, she adds that it "will happen when we have full military control over Gaza. I hope that the hostages will be returned and the situation in Lebanon will be settled, including the suppression of Hezbollah forces. This will happen this year, so we need elections this year.
"After the October 7 failure, the army must learn lessons. After the war, the military elite must put down the keys and resign. As far as the political level is concerned, having elections and not resignations is the right thing because it has a consensus and a majority of 70% of the people. The military has already taken responsibility, and I expect the same from the politicians led by Netanyahu. It has not happened yet."
Regarding the lawsuit in The Hague and the accusation of Israel of alleged genocide, the former Justice Minister stated that "South Africa is used as a political arm of Hamas. This is a discussion of a reverse antisemitic world. It's good that Israel came forward.
"The filing of the lawsuit should not be attributed to irresponsible statements by elected officials. They would've done it anyway. In my estimation, the lawsuit will be dismissed, although they may issue a declaratory order against us in the general form of the need for additional humanitarian aid and adherence to the rules of war, but not to the point of an immediate cessation of hostilities."
When asked about her role as chairperson of Kardan Real Estate, Shaked stated that "the market will recover quickly after the war. Many Jews will come to Israel following the new revelations of antisemitism around the world, and real estate demand will increase. However, the government is acting blindly. They don't allow Palestinian workers to come in, and they do not allow other solutions.
"The government hides its head in the sand, and the crisis will only get worse. There will be fewer construction projects and just more demands. I don't see prices dropping further in the coming year. Towards the end of 2024, there will be increases in prices in some places, a trend which will strengthen in 2025."