Israel Katz
@Israel_katz · Israeli government & coalition
Knesset profile: Israel Katz →
Israel Katz is Israel's Defense Minister and a veteran Likud cabinet member who previously held the foreign affairs, finance, and transportation portfolios.
We promised and delivered. The terrorists were eliminated and Ali Taher's tunnels were destroyed. All credit to the IDF.
Translated from HebrewI congratulate the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Police on the successful operation to eliminate a Hamas commander in the Jenin camp, together with additional terrorists, in a precise airstrike. The camp he commanded was evacuated of residents and captured by the IDF, cleared of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure, and the IDF is stationed there permanently, as in additional terrorist camps in Judea and Samaria, and he himself was pursued until he was located and eliminated. These are the fruits of the offensive and proactive policy we are leading in Judea and Samaria: We do not wait for terrorism—we pursue it, capture its strongholds, and thwart its operatives. This policy has already led to an approximately 80% decrease in terrorist activity. We will continue to act with strength and initiative and thwart every threat to the citizens of Israel—wherever it is found.
Translated from HebrewPrime Minister Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to adopt a policy of zero containment and zero tolerance toward the launching of kites and balloons from Gaza toward the Negev communities. If the launches continue, forceful measures will be taken to put an end to the phenomenon. A balloon and a kite will be treated like a drone—with or without explosives. I am not Yoav Gallant, and I will not allow the policy of the eve of October 7 to return—not from the air and not through approaching the fences. Unlike the method of repeated raids that he led during the war, which allowed Hamas to return again and again to the same places, we acted together with the IDF and built a strong security zone cleared of residents and terrorist infrastructure, with the IDF controlling the area to protect the soldiers and communities—and we will not allow it to be bypassed in any way.
Translated from HebrewAt first, some commentators and event hosts who cling to the margins of their definition as journalists, and some opposition leaders, said that the strike in Syria was unnecessary and carried out for political reasons. After it became clear that the IDF had recommended the strike based on clear intelligence, and that the political echelon carefully weighed the matter and made the decision, they moved to an alternative version: the statements by the prime minister and the defense minister to Erdoğan, and the warnings that we would not allow Turkey to establish itself in Syria and endanger Israel's security, are unnecessary and dangerous. We must not anger Erdoğan, as though we had gone on some evening stroll with a light breeze in the treetops unrelated to anything—and Erdoğan is actually some kind of lover of Zion. Luckily, they currently have no influence over anything, and for Israel's security, we very much hope that they will not reach positions of influence with such views in the future.
Translated from HebrewThe IDF recommended several times that the strike be carried out at the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria, in view of the clear intelligence received about Turkey’s intentions to carry out operations there that would endanger the security of the State of Israel. After several discussions that the prime minister and I held with the IDF and the various security agencies, it was agreed that before authorization was given, a direct warning would be delivered to the Syrian regime at the highest levels in an attempt to prevent the move—and that is what was done. At the same time, the intelligence was passed to the relevant authorities in the United States. After the approach received no response, the prime minister and I authorized the IDF to carry out the strike, and it was carried out successfully. Erdoğan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to retreat. We will not allow any party to endanger the security of the State of Israel, and we will act against any threat—as we acted today in southern Syria as well. This is the central lesson of the events of October 7. The attempt by elements in the opposition and parts of the media to paint the operation in Syria in political colors stems from a combination of ignorance, a lack of understanding of Israel’s security interests, and a constant desire to attack the government—and deserves full condemnation. The response of the American envoy Barak is full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the position of U.S. President Trump himself regarding the status of the Golan Heights.
Translated from Hebrew.@RTErdogan, is dragging Türkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria. Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security. It would be better for Erdoğan to continue his detached-from-reality, imaginary rhetoric against Israel in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey than to try to test Israel’s determination to defend itself.
Translated from TurkishErdogan @RTErdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria. Israel will not allow any entity to threaten its security. Erdogan would be better off continuing to deliver empty, fantastical speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament and not testing Israel’s determination to defend itself.
Translated from HebrewAfter 44 years, Staff Sergeant Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, of blessed memory, has returned to the soil of Israel. For more than four decades, the Katz family carried the longing and the uncertainty, and the State of Israel carried with it the duty to bring Yehuda home. Yehuda's return, following the returns of Zacharia Baumel, of blessed memory, and Tzvika Feldman, of blessed memory, completes a chapter that has continued since the Battle of Sultan Yacoub. It expresses the deep covenant between the State of Israel and its soldiers and their families, a covenant that is not limited by time. I thank all the members of the security establishment and intelligence community, past and present, who worked throughout the years with dedication and determination and never ceased their efforts until the mission was completed. My heart is with the Katz family, and especially with the memory of his parents, Sarah and Yosef, of blessed memory, who did not live to see this day. The State of Israel remembers its sons, is committed to them, and will continue to do everything in its power to bring home everyone who has not yet returned. May Yehuda's memory be a blessing.
Translated from HebrewIsrael's policy in Gaza, as clarified to the IDF by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and by me, is clear: remove threats, eliminate terrorists, and settle accounts with everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. This is how the IDF acted today in eliminating Hamas terrorists, and this is how it will continue to act forcefully in order to protect our soldiers and ensure calm in the southern communities - from within the security zone.
Translated from HebrewOur settlement revolution in Judea and Samaria: Establishment of 104 new settlements. Recognition of 160 agricultural farms. Cancellation of administrative detention orders against settlers. Strengthening the settlement enterprise in the Jordan Valley. Evacuation of approximately 40,000 residents of the terror camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, while leaving the IDF in the camps. Offensive activity that led to an approximately 80% decrease in the scope of terrorism. Return of IDF bases to northern Samaria. Finally, a right-wing defense minister. Vote for 121 in the primaries.
Translated from Hebrew
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