Israel’s former president Ehud Olmert in an interview: “Switzerland could help in the release of the hostages”

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SonntagsBlick: Mr. Olmert, a week ago Israel was completely surprised by the Hamas attack. How could that happen?
Ehud Olmert: Don’t know. We knew nothing. At the very last minute, at 2 or 3 in the morning, there were probably some signs. The secret service people could have moved enough troops south in two hours, then everything would have been different. But they didn’t.

Why?
Because they were surprised. Through persistent arrogance and a complete lack of respect for the skills and sophistication of the other party. There must have been a master plan there that took a long time to prepare. No one in Israel had entertained the possibility that Hamas could even do such a thing.

Were the secret services ignorant?
Quite arrogant. Overbearing and arrogant. The Hamas people are primitive murderers. But they are refined, determined and focused on their goals. Moreover, they apparently manipulated and deceived us in a very clever way.

Why have they struck now?
I can only judge based on my personal experiences. Hamas works as an extension of Iran, like Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both are financed, equipped, trained and inspired by Iran – there is no doubt about that. The US has recently attempted to broker cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Normalization between Saudis and Israelis was not even the main goal. The main goal of the US was to establish a new axis against the increasing influence of Iran, China and Russia in this region. I believe the purpose of the terrorist attack on Israel was to stop these efforts.

So Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard line on the Palestinian issue played no role?
No. It is about the America-Saudi Arabia-Israel axis. Normalization with Saudi Arabia would require Israel to make concessions to Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority – which would in turn weaken Hamas’s position. Their meaning was therefore threatened. Unlike many members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, I view Abbas and the Palestinian Authority as potential partners. I am in contact with them and make no secret of it. Hamas, on the other hand, is not a partner. She does not want peace with Israel. When I was Prime Minister, we focused on Hamas in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead in late 2008 and early 2009. Sometimes in recent years it has occurred to me that we could have done more to crush them. Unfortunately, I was against it due to the political circumstances at the time. I think we made a mistake there.

Now Israel is fighting back. Gaza is completely closed off and is being intensively bombed. Ground operations have taken place. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says: “This is just the beginning.” What awaits us?
Don’t know. Some of our political leaders – including Netanyahu, of course – are guided by their anger and their demons. They say things that shouldn’t be said. That is why the international community warns us from the very beginning about Israel’s action to comply with international law.

There is great international solidarity. Many countries grant Israel the right to self-defense.
Correct. But US Secretary of State Blinken and US Defense Secretary Austin did not come to Israel on Friday to reaffirm their commitment to us. US President Joe Biden has already done this with his public speeches and the dispatch of two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. The only reason the two American ministers came to Israel was to say, “We support you, we are behind you 100 percent – but you have to be careful and abide by international law.”

What do you conclude from this?
That Israel has to make a very difficult choice. We can choose to ignore all these warnings and proceed with a large-scale ground operation. This option would cause us great losses and, on the other hand, significant collateral damage, which could cause us to lose the international support we currently enjoy.

And the other option…
…is to carry out more targeted actions that may be effective, but do not give the political base a sense of the promised victory. This is a dilemma. The demand for the evacuation of a million people from Gaza City shows the direction things could be heading.

So a major ground offensive.
The Israeli army apparently wants to operate in the center of Gaza. However, to keep collateral damage as low as possible, the civilian population is asked to withdraw from the combat area. Israel will have to address the humanitarian situation in the southern part of the Gaza Strip so that we can move into the center of Gaza and destroy everything that is in any way connected to Hamas.

And then? What should happen after Hamas is destroyed – assuming it succeeds?
Over a period of time, an international force must ensure the restoration of a civilian, moderate government in the Gaza Strip. Our soldiers have to leave again after the operation. There must be no renewed Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.

Are you calling for the stationing of United Nations peacekeepers in Gaza?
For example, I don’t know if they are United Nations troops or NATO troops. But yes, something like that: effective and powerful, so that a terrorist organization does not arise there again. The strategic purpose of this war is not just revenge for the terrible atrocities committed against us. Our goal must also be to change the balance within the Palestinian community. This includes strengthening the position of the autonomous authority so that it can take control of the Gaza Strip. So that we can make peace with Abbas based on the plan I presented in 2008.

Do you still believe that a two-state solution is possible?
Yes, but only if Hamas’ dominance can be broken. My proposal is a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. This requires a territorial exchange in which the Arab part of Jerusalem will be the Palestinian capital. The Holy Pool of Jerusalem is managed by a kind of trust fund made up of five countries: Palestinians, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and America. Free entry for every believer to every holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem is guaranteed. Our goal must be such a dramatic step to justify the measures now taken!

As a neutral state, Switzerland sees itself as a mediator. Bern has negotiated with both sides in the past and has now reactivated his contacts, including with Hamas. How do you see Switzerland’s role?
If Switzerland believes it can talk to both Israel and Hamas and thereby have a positive impact, then I doubt it. Switzerland could only assist in the release of the hostages currently held by Hamas.

Switzerland discusses banning Hamas. To date, the organization is not classified as a terrorist organization in this country. How do you assess that?
I consider it a serious mistake. Hamas is nothing more than a terrorist organization.

Source: Blick