Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu suspended one of his cabinet members when the latter made radical remarks. Minister Amity Eliyahu made comments about using nuclear weapons on Gaza, which drew strong criticism from within Israel.
A nuclear attack on Gaza would be catastrophic in multiple ways. The civilian loss of life would be devastating, and nuclear fallout would create additional casualties in Israel, Egypt, and other neighbors. Israel’s relations would be irreparably damaged with the entire world and could lead to additional invasions into Israel. Yahoo News says:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday disciplined a junior member of his cabinet who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza, where the war with Hamas is inflicting a spiralling Palestinian civilian toll.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that the minister concerned – Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, from a far-right party in the coalition government – had been suspended from cabinet meetings “until further notice”.
World opinion is largely in the Palestinian camp, and a greater number of Americans than ever before express neutrality or support for the Palestinians. While the American government continues to support the Israeli government, statements like this hurts Israel’s relationship with its allies. The Hill continues:
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid called on Netanyahu to fire Eliyahu in a Sunday morning statement on X, calling the remarks “shocking and crazy” and saying his extremist position “endangers” Israeli society and the way its viewed across the world.
“A shocking and crazy statement by an irresponsible minister. He harmed the families of the abductees, harmed Israeli society and harmed our international standing,” Lapid said.
Israel’s nuclear weapons are a key element to its security, but its use case has never been made public. It can be assumed that in case of a successful invasion resulting in a new Holocaust, Israel would retaliate against its enemies. The “Samson Option” theory would also include nuking other states that did not directly invade Israel. This would be in reactions to their passivity, such as European countries.
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