Settlement Minister Orit Strock (Religious Zionism) explained Wednesday morning why the Religious Zionist party decided to vote in favor of the deal to return some of the hostages - even though a few hours earlier, it published a statement expressing opposition to the deal.
"We announced that we would not vote in favor - if the details were as published - and we discovered that they were different. We were facing two central questions that we wanted to examine - the first was whether the deal would harm our chances of continuing the fighting and removing the murderous threat over the citizens of Israel - and if that were the case we would not support in the deal. This goal is critical to our very existence here as a nation that strives for life, and we must not give it up," Strock said in an interview to Galei Zahal.
She added that "the parameters are completely different from other deals and also the terms of the ceasefire are good for Israel. This is an achievement that has been made thanks to the IDF officers and soldiers who pushed Hamas to the wall in an unprecedented way and will continue to push it."
When asked why there was a need for the party’s announcement which was given after the Prime Minister publicly stated that the war would not stop, she answered, "It is impossible to make decisions based on statements to the media - without underestimating the Prime Minister's words, God forbid. We had to understand how much this would allow us to return to the war after the deal. We also wanted to see both how determined the political echelon is in this need and intention, and also the security echelon, because if we felt that weakness on this issue - we would not have supported it."
She believes that there was an interest in conveying a public message even before the vote: "We have a certain approach to the situation, and I also expressed myself on this matter, regarding the battle of the Hostages Families Forum. I have a major disagreement with the heads of the forum, who in the past led us to a bloody deal. We see it as our duty to outline this matter and pull in another direction. The families are living through hell and we cannot make any demands from them, but there is someone who is leading a campaign, who at some point focused all the pressure - instead of on Hamas and the international players - on the Israeli government. The person who led it did the same thing in the past with the Shalit deal and boasted about the success. We saw it as our duty to clarify what a deal should look like and that the goal of returning the hostages is just as important as the goal of defeating Hamas and removing the Gazan threat over Israel."
Strock was asked if she thinks it is necessary to resettle Gaza with Jews and replied, "We are now enjoying great unity. We are fighting for goals that we all share. These goals include the complete destruction of all Hamas capabilities in Gaza, the complete removal of the Gazan threat to the State of Israel, the creation of a buffer zone between Israel and Gaza - and these are topics that are agreed upon, on the right and the left. There are issues that are still disputed and as a minister in the government I will not engage on any such issue during wartime."
Strock also rejected the claims regarding the coalition funds that are not being directed to dealing with the outcomes of the war. "This is a false campaign," she said. "The needs of the war do not correspond with anyone's coalition budgets. It's like saying you need money for surgery abroad from the budget of the peanut butter that you spread on your bread. Most of my office's budget was diverted for the war. In the Ministry of Settlements and National Missions, we are bearing the burden of reconstructing the communities around Gaza and in the north - and therefore most of the budgets are directed to dealing with the war and its consequences."
She also explained why money budgeted for her ministry and intended for evacuees has been delayed: "The money the evacuees receive is from the old budget, because the new budget was not passed because of the crazy campaign against us. Most of the money will go for war purposes and the rest is a fake."