Former Israeli PM calls for ceasefire, warns of further conflict

The war on Gaza must be stopped immediately and a ceasefire reached to assure the return of the Israeli hostages and prevent long-lasting impacts for both sides that are likely if the war continues, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday.

Olmert further said that Hamas’ capabilities in Gaza had been significantly weakened warning that a continuation of the war would bring about the deaths of both innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians and rather put the hostages at risk of being killed instead of being saved.

“(…) we should stop the war now. Immediately! We should bring back all the hostages in agreement with Hamas and we should withdraw completely from Gaza,” he said during an interview with Rosanna Lockwood on GNT.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched attacks into Israel killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. In retaliation, Israel launched armed strikes and ground incursions into Gaza that have killed over 42,000 people, the majority of them civilians.

Moreover, Olmert called on the Israeli government to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority and other Arab countries to find more permanent solutions to the current situation.

“(…) there should be a deployment of a Palestinian force with soldiers from moderate Arab countries, including by the way Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that will take place instead of Israelis ordered to prevent the return of Hamas into any dominant position in Gaza.”

In 2006, tensions between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas led to open conflict with Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip and the Authority parts of the West Bank.

Peace up north

As for the situation in Lebanon, Olmert, although justifying the military response to Hezbollah, also called for an end to the current strikes saying that Hezbollah too had been significantly weakened and the time was ripe for an end to the current situation.

“It has to stop now and if I had been prime minister now, I would have done the agreement that is brokered by America and France to compromise on the outstanding disputes we have on the borderline and conclude the war,” he said.

On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah began launching armed attacks on northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas prompting the evacuation of most of the areas. On September 19, Israel began launching strikes across Lebanon that have left at least 1,300 people dead and more than 1.2 million displaced.

The strikes have killed several members of Hezbollah, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah and other high-ranking commanders.

Olmert remained positive saying that with the cooperation with international partners, naming explicitly the US and France, an end to the situation in Lebanon and the northern areas of Israel could be reached too.

“The Americans and the French are making exceptional efforts in order to bring an understanding about it. And I think that if the Lebanese government and Israel reach an understanding about these outstanding (border) issues, then we can disarm Hezbollah and move them away across the Litani River line, which will allow Israel to bring back the 80,000 Israelis to where they live,” he told Al Arabiya News.

Olmert served as Israeli prime minister from 2006 to 2009. He has repeatedly criticized the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for the handling of the war.