Israeli Defense Minister at Odds with Security Echelon about Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

Regardless of one’s politics, there are few who are unwilling to characterize the situation in the Gaza Strip as a humanitarian crisis. Few, including Israeli defense Minister Avigdor Liberman who said on Monday that “the situation there is difficult …[but] there is no humanitarian crisis.” Liberman’s assessment flies in the face of his own government, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu whose $1 billion proposal to build sources of electric power and clean water in the Gaza Strip was just presented to the donor nations – those countries that contribute to sustaining the Palestinian Authority. Liberman does, however, make the argument that given the level of need, the $100 million per year Iran gives Hamas – the rulers of the Gaza Strip – for arms and to sustain its fighting force should be used for humanitarian needs. According to Israel’s reckoning, Hamas spent more than $260 million on arms and for building the terror tunnels while not addressing the dire need for electric power and drinking water. Trump administration Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt recently tweeted “Imagine what the people of Gaza could do with the $100 million Iran gives Hamas annually that Hamas uses for weapons and tunnels to attack Israel!”