Netanyahu: "There will be No Ceasefire without the Release of our Hostages"

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met (Wednesday) with the heads of authorities from Judea and Samaria at the Central Command headquarters, along with the members of the war management cabinet, and with the head of the Shin Bet and the head of the National Security Council.

At the beginning of his remarks, Netanyahu referred to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and the talks surrounding the ceasefire. "I want to praise the IDF's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, it is progressing well and achieving good results. I would like to put aside all kinds of idle rumors that we hear from all kinds of directions, and repeat one clear thing: there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages. Everything else is idle."

The Prime Minister also referred to the objectives in the war on terror in Judea and Samaria. "I am here with the war management cabinet, with the heads of the councils in Judea and Samaria and of course with the Central Command. We are coming here for three purposes," Netanyahu said. "The first purpose is to increase the countering of terrorism, this will be done with a high hand. I want to praise the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police for a very impressive action in this area.

According to the Prime Minister, "The second goal is to prevent escalation and turning Judea and Samaria into a second arena. This of course requires preparation for mass attacks both in Judea and Samaria and from Judea and Samaria. The third reason is a handful of extremists who do not represent the public sitting here, who are causing great damage to the State of Israel."

Netanyahu with the heads of the authorities (Photo: Roi Avraham/GPO, Sound: Ben Peretz/GPO)

"A handful of extremists cause great damage to the State of Israel"

Later, Netanyahu complimented the religious public for joining the campaign and warned against extreme right-wing violence. "The public of the residents of Judea and Samaria is half a million loyal, law-abiding citizens who do dedicated work," he noted.

According to him, "Now, many, many of them are in both the regular service and the reserve service within the front line in Gaza. These citizens have made a very great contribution to the State of Israel over the years and are facing challenges that the citizens of Israel know how difficult they are and how demanding they are. They have always, always, always maintained values - moral values and primary norms of behavior."

He also added that "there is a tiny handful of people who do not represent this public, who take the law into their own hands. We are not willing to tolerate it, we are not willing to accept it, we will act against it in any way. It causes heavy international damage to the State of Israel and it does not represent the public here. I condemn it and we will act against it, and I know that I represent all the people who live here, the heads of the settlements in Judea and Samaria and the people who settle in Judea and Samaria. Thank you very much."

The meeting was attended by heads of authorities from the localities: Oranit, Efrat, Elkana, Ariel, Beit El, Beitar Elit, Binyamin, Jordan Valley, Givat Ze'ev, Gush Etzion, Har Hadar, Har Hebron, Management of Hebron, Modi'in Illit, Ma'ale Adumim, Ma'ale Ephraim , Emanuel, Kedomim Council, Kiryat Arba, Karnei Shomron, Shomron and Shaar Shomron, Executive Director of the Judea and Samaria Council and Amana Secretary General.