Israel is at war with thousands of terrorists who have infiltrated its land and brought death to its communities, international law expert Mikhail Finkel said in an interview with Minval.az, commenting on the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We find bodies of babies with their throats slit, we have seen corpses of pregnant women with their bellies ripped open. People were handcuffed to iron piles and burned alive. Terrorists not only killed people, but also their animals. We are dealing with Nazis, this is the SS of the 21st century.
Since 1979, the Israeli state has been at war with Iran, declared by the Ayatollah regime, but before they came to power, we had excellent relations with that country. And the current round of military conflict occurred precisely because of the ongoing confrontation. We are at war with Iran in Syria, in Lebanon, the IRGC is shelling our territories from the Golan Heights, they are committing terrorist acts against us in Asia, Africa and around the world. I would like to emphasize that Hamas leaders thank Iran for its military assistance, instruction and training in carrying out the recent operation. Ayatollah Khamenei commented on the military action on the platform X, welcoming the resistance of the Palestinian people against the Zionist aggressor. Hezbollah is also under Iran, it is a quasi-Shia terrorist organization that has devoured half of Lebanon, has branches in Syria. We can have no agreements with Hezbollah, because this is enemy and we are at war with it. There have been four attacks on Israel, and we have responded four times, and we have suppressed the enemy’s artillery and firing points from air. We are not afraid of Hezbollah, we have plans to fight on several fronts, Israel always comes out victorious from all wars, and this time neither Hezbollah, nor Syria, from where there was also fire yesterday, nor Iran will interfere in the conflict. Moreover, when a US warship flotilla approached Israel’s shores, after Joe Biden’s speech, a warning was issued to Iran, Hezbollah and Syria.
Is there a time frame for the end of the war?
The greatest folly today would be to make predictions about the time frame for the end of this round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. There is military censorship. Our troops who will fight on the territory of the Gaza Strip turn in their cell phones and all gadgets, except for walkie-talkies, which operate on a certain frequency that is inaccessible to journalists and the enemy, and it will be impossible to monitor what is happening in real time, as it could cost the lives of our soldiers. And that is why all information will come only after the events that have already taken place. We will not tell anyone anything. Expect surprises, stock up on popcorn.
The Hamas attack on Israel last Saturday has raised so many questions. One in particular is: where was Israeli intelligence thinking, and how could such a monumental slip-up happen?
Let me amplify your question: the issue here is not just the Mossad foreign intelligence, not just the Shabak domestic intelligence, not just the border troops, not just the AI that patrols the border, not just the Navy that patrolled the Mediterranean border near Gaza, from where all the patrol ships were withdrawn for some reason. The question is for at least five units of our army, not just intelligence. There are definitely many more questions than answers. We will not be dealing with an investigation during the war, but I will say this: the investigation has already begun, and all questions will be answered, but after the war. And I do not believe that there was a so-called “slip-up”, because one department can “slip up”, but not all units of the Israeli army, plus private military brigades patrolling Israeli towns and villages. Therefore, no one will give an answer to the question: “Who is to blame?” for now, if only because there is still such thing as presumption of innocence. A competent investigation must be carried out, in the course of which an appropriate assessment will be made.
How do you think the Middle East region will change geopolitically once the war is over?
It is too early to talk about changes, because we are not dealing with real Muslims. We are dealing with Nazis who are hiding behind the most radical, insane trends of the Islamic schools, and as Sunnis, Hamas members are taking money from quasi-Shia members of the Ayatollah regime, whom they consider heretics. The whole thing is utter madness. But the permanent representative to the UN, Mr. Erdan, already said three days ago that there would be no negotiations with the Hamas Nazi regime, but its total destruction. That is our declared goal for the moment. This phrase of mine is addressed to all those who so zealously strive to become a “dove of peace” in this round of military confrontation, trying to reconcile Israel with the terrorists. Forget it. It will never happen!
Yana Madatova
Translated from Minval.az
