Housing and Construction Minister Ze'ev Boim on Wednesday said that Israel must assassinate Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh in order to stop the continuation of rocket fire, Army Radio reported."As long as Hamas rules in Gaza and carries out terror from there, not just against Israel but against the civilian population in the strip, rockets will continue to strike Israel," Boim said.
According to Boim, killing Haniyeh could bring about a similar response to the one that followed the assassination of another group leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 2004. While that attack brought about fierce international criticism, it also brought about a long period of perplexity, Boim said.
A public call such as Boim's could contribute to serious security threats and could also cause Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders to go deeper into hiding, making it more difficult for Israel to target them.
Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon lambasted Boim for making such a declaration. "We have many options, and in Boim's place, I would not have brought them into the public eye," he told Army Radio.
Source: Haaretz
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