Israeli ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel will not be able to conduct a long-term operation against the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza; it must be completed in the next two to three weeks due to dissatisfaction with the United States.
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“It is clear that the window is closing. It is clear that we are heading towards friction with the Americans over the offensive. America cannot dictate to Israel what to do, but we cannot ignore them. We will have to come to terms with American demands over the next two to three weeks, and , perhaps less,” Barak said.
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The former prime minister added that months or even a year are needed to completely defeat the Palestinian Hamas movement. Barak stressed that Western support was weakening due to the deaths of civilians in Gaza and fears that it could trigger a much larger and catastrophic war in the region.
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“We are losing public opinion in Europe, and in a week or two we will begin to lose governments in Europe. And in another week, friction with the Americans will come to the surface,” the former Israeli prime minister added.
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In his opinion, to change the political landscape, multinational Arab forces could take control of Gaza after Israel’s military operation.
