Speaking at Haaretz's National Security Conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, Germany's ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert said that Germany does not support the settlements, and that he is "the Ambassador to Israel in accordance to its 67' borders. I'm not the ambassador outside the Green Line."
Seibert, in conversation with Haaretz's Deputy Editor-in-Chief Noa Landau, said that if one "looks at the occupation in its 58th [year], it's very hard to say it's temporary. And we see certain actors looking to turn the occupation into annexation and we are not going to stand on the sidelines and allow that to happen."
Seibert said that Israel and Germany "are friends," and "have to speak openly and honestly with one another. You don't tell your friends everything they are doing is perfect."
Asked about the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Seibert said that "There can't be any more important goal than getting them out, then freeing them... The image of hostages coming out of Gaza is the only thing that can heal us."
U.S. Ambassador Jack Lew: 'pressing as hard as we can'
The Haaretz National Security Conference kicked off on Monday at the Tel Aviv Culture Hall. The event, hosted by Haaretz's Sheren Falah Saab and Netta Ahituv, aims to explore the new reality in the region following the October 7 Hamas attack and the Gaza War that followed.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew also spoke at the conference. Talking to Haaretz's Editor-in-Chief Aluf Benn, the ambassador said that there are indications of Israeli flexibility in hostage-release and cease-fire talks with Hamas.
Lew added that the while it remains to be seen whether Hamas is willing to accept the deal, "all of us are pressing as hard as we can to meet in the middle."
"Ultimately, one person on the Hamas side gets to decide, and getting him to do that is what it takes," Lew said.
Addressing a question about support for Israel in the United States, Lew said that "the fringes on both sides are the problem," adding that "the left wing is asking serious questions about Israel's conduct."
"We're Israel's best friend and its closest ally. You want there to be broad consensus," he said.
Asked by Benn whether the Biden administration is satisfied with the way Israel is conducting the war, Lew replied that "The President has been clear since October 7: Israel has the right to defend itself, including [the supply of] an unprecedented amount of military support."
However, the ambassador noted, "Israel needs to defend itself in the framework of human rights."
"Hamas isn't bound by international law... How do you fight an enemy that's embedded in civilian population? We've been careful not to criticize, but we've done what a good friend does, and that is asking hard questions and offering support," he said.
When asked about the escalation in settler violence toward Palestinians in the West Bank, Lew said that "Terrorist acts by extremist settlers demand condemnation like any other terrorist groups."
"Aggressive taking of land is an impediment to ultimately achieving a two-state solution. We've been very clear about what's right and what is wrong," the ambassador added.
French Ambassador Frederic Journes said in a conversation with Landau that "a full scale war" with Hezbollah in the north "will be extremely dangerous for the region," adding that "we already have a regional war [Ukraine-Russia]. All of a sudden, this could start to look like a World War."
"We also believe it would be very bad for Israel," Journeys said. "It would be extremely costly."
In terms of what actions France has taken to deescalate the situation, he said, "We're telling [Hezbollah] very clearly what the risks are. We're also telling this to our Israeli friends."
"But a diplomatic agreement cannot happen as long as the war is ongoing in Gaza," Journes added.
Yair Golan: 'annexation or separation? I am in favor of separation'
Israeli MK Yair Golan, founder of The Democrats, the new left-wing party that merged the Labor and Meretz, attacked the current government, saying it "doesn't choose what's good for its people. They are choosing what is good for their personal needs. Which is, 'let's continue the war forever.'"
When asked about some government ministers' statements on the need to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, Golan said Israel only has a choice between two options: annexation or separation.
"If the Zionist Dream is kicking out 2.1 Palestinians from their land, I no longer understand the Zionist dream," he said. "It doesn't matter if we are nice to Palestinians [when we occupy them] or not nice. The question is what is the Zionist vision? Annexation or separation? I am in favor of separation."
Gilad Kariv: 'Netanyahu and Smotrich are building up Hamas in the West Bank'
Speaking at a panel titled "The right wants war, but what is the Israeli center-left's alternative?" Labor lawmaker Gilad Kariv said that "It's the government's responsibility to create an alternative to Hamas rule [in Gaza].
"Our security policies must lean on the understanding that working in cooperation with a Palestinian leadership is the only way to secure Israel's safety," he added.
"For years, Netanyahu built up Hamas in Gaza, and now we see Netanyahu and [Finance Minister and minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel] Smotrich building up Hamas in the West Bank," Kariv said.
Mansour Abbas: 'Netanyahu's gov't led the most enormous security failure in Israel's history'
Speaking with Haaretz's Jacky Khoury about rising crime in Israel's Arab society, which has skyrocketed under Netanyahu's government, United Arab List Chairman, MK Mansour Abbas, said that 'there was no significant effort to deal with this phenomenon, even when murders and crime organizations were in their early stages."
"This neglect of over 15 years is reflected today in the rates of crime and violence," he added. "We had one successful year, the only one, with a program to combat violence. In my opinion, if a new government is formed, just its formation will reduce 50% of the current crime."
According to Abbas, "Netanyahu's fully right-wing government is responsible for the most enormous security failure in the history of the State of Israel. It's a neglect of governance, law, and order. National pride no longer exists after what happened on October 7. Therefore, I think the Israeli public will ultimately listen to leaders who outline a path, a vision, who offer hope and a real plan that learns from past experience but looks toward the future."
Ayman Odeh: If the Arab vote is up, there won't be a right-wing gov't
MK Ayman Odeh, head of the joint Jewish-Arab Hadash party, stressed that without forging partnerships with Israel's Arab population, the left won't be able to change the political map. "There is no majority to beat the right without us. I want to be a full partner," he said, adding: "if the Arabs will come out and vote in the same percentage as the rest of Israel, there will never be another right wing government."
But getting the numbers up "isn't only the responsibility of Arab politicians," Odeh said, "we need the left's help."
"The only thing that I am interested in is forging a peace," he concluded. "I will sit with anyone who is interested in moving that goal forward. Why have we gotten to this low point? Because we are not able to stand up and say – this will never end until we end the occupation."
Gadi Eisenkot: We are unable to form an effective opposition
Gadi Eisenkot, a lawmaker and senior member of the National Unity party, criticized the opposition's performance, giving it a "failing grade" in an interview with Haaretz. He said, "We are unable to form an opposition that would serve as an alternative."
Eisenkot also rebuked Netanyahu's leadership, stating, "Attempts are being made to approach decent people in Likud and point out the reality visible to all—where Israel is heading under Benjamin Netanyahu. I very much hope that true patriots will be found who, when they look in the mirror in the morning, know very well what their sheep-like silence is doing to Israel."
Regarding Gideon Sa'ar's potential coalition involvement, Eisenkot remarked, "The problem isn't Sa'ar, but the prime minister. In the seven months I was part of the government, I was exposed to the prime minister's lack of realism. He fails to read the situation and refuses to make decisions. Sa'ar previously said Netanyahu is unfit and endangers state security; I recommend he re-read what he published."
Ami Ayalon: When there's no hope, we become violent
Former IDF Navy Commander and Shin Bet Chief Ami Ayalon addressed the significant danger in the government's recent actions during a panel moderated by Haaretz journalist Ravit Hecht. Ayalon warned, "When there's no hope, we become violent. Some people who lose hope set themselves on fire in the street, while others go and kill. I think what the Israeli government is doing is essentially dragging us into a very problematic process."
At the panel's opening, Hecht referred to headlines about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Ayalon argued that "it's not Gallant who should feel threatened, but Israel that should feel threatened."
Ayalon also discussed how "political hope is born out of catastrophes. There's a direct correlation between what happened to us in the Yom Kippur War and the peace with Egypt. I believe we're in a reality that has a lot of hope. I don't know if it will come to fruition, but there is hope –there's a plan for a new Middle East."
He suggested that the removal of the Palestinian issue from the global agenda led to the timing of the October 7 attack, and therefore, there's hope in bringing the Palestinian issue back to the forefront. "The plan presented by the American administration connects the things we all pray for. First, that the hostages will return and we'll release as many Palestinians as needed; that the war in Gaza will end, which will directly affect what's happening in Lebanon, and we'll reach some kind of arrangement. The condition is to create a process, which could take 30 years, of a two-state reality. I think there's a lot of hope in this process."
