‘Ceasefire not on table,’ consul general says

DJ Schneeweiss

TORONTO — Israel will not end Operation Protective Edge against Hamas until the current round of rocket fire from Gaza ends, Israel’s consul general to Toronto and Western Canada said in a briefing on Tuesday.

“It will continue until the firing stops. A ceasefire is not on the table,” DJ Schneeweiss told Jewish community members in a telephone conference call. 

The operation, he said, aims “to restore security to Israeli civilians and to restore the peace. We want to wreak damage on Hamas’ capability to cause harm in the future.”

Operation Protective Edge was launched July 7 in response to the intensification of rocket fire on Israel’s civilian population from Hamas-controlled Gaza.

During the conference call, Schneeweiss said he’d just heard that  five rockets were launched at Jerusalem. 

All were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system, which has “a 90 per cent success rate,” he said.

“Hamas is clearly seeking a quality strike against Israel,” to give it momentum and stress it’s authority in Gaza. “It makes them look strong,” Schneeweiss said. “We want to take away from them the ability to strike again.”

The attacks have nothing to do with the death of the Palestinian teenager last week. “The rocket launches started escalating the day the [Jewish] teenagers were kidnapped and killed, before their bodies were found and before the Palestinian teenager was killed.”

Some 50 to 80 people in Gaza have been killed by Israel’s response, and around 500 wounded. Schneeweiss said Israel is not looking to punish the population of Gaza and is targeting strategic targets with pinpoint accuracy.

“Obviously some civilians have paid a terrible price, but Israel does not take responsibility. What happens in Gaza is Hamas’ responsibility. It encourages its population to act as human shields.”

Just today, he said, Gaza’s Interior Ministry told its citizens not to heed Israeli warnings to leave targeted buildings. “They have complete disregard for their own people.”

Israel routinely warns Gaza’s citizens of its targets.

He said despite the rocket attacks, life in Israel continues as normal. “Our defensive capabilities are strong. We’re not suffering casualties. People are still eating their sushi and going to the beach. The country is still able to function. The fact that there is a threat is a constant for Israelis and will remain so in the future.”

Schneeweiss insisted that despite the “intense exchange of rocket fire,” humanitarian trucks continue to enter and leave Gaza without any impediment.

He said the Israeli Defence Forces is continuing to prepare for a ground offensive if it becomes necessary. “We are not going to launch a ground war until we are ready. We are not in a rush.”

At least 80 rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday, reaching as far north as Zichron Ya’akov, bringing the total since Monday night to more than 200, according to the Times of Israel.