Israeli Defense Minister Katz Declares 'No Such Thing as Jewish Terrorism'

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced at the 'Decisive Moment' conference, hosted by Yedioth Ahronoth and the Israel Democracy Institute, that he has "canceled the concept" of Jewish terrorism. He stated, "There is no Jewish terrorism. I canceled this concept. Terrorism is someone who acts against the State of Israel."

When questioned by Moran Azulai about Jewish rioters in Palestinian villages, Katz responded, "This is violence, and those who commit crimes must be punished, and those who have committed crimes are sitting in jail." He differentiated such acts from terrorism as defined by him.

Regarding the security situation with Gaza, Katz asserted that "there is no real solution without real immigration from there." He claimed that "80% of Gaza's residents want to immigrate" and that preparations for air, sea, and land emigration are complete. However, he noted that Egypt is unwilling to allow this through its territory, and the process is currently stalled because "receiving countries are not ready for it to happen without American support for them."

Katz also addressed the escalating threat from Iran, stating that the likelihood of an Iranian attack on Israel increases as pressure and economic sanctions on Tehran grow. He observed that Iran "likes to attack on Jewish holidays because they hate Jews," referencing past incidents. Katz assured that Israel is prepared for both defense and offense in coordination with the United States, but warned, "If they attack because of Lebanon, because of Samaria, because of Gaza, because they feel like it, our planes are ready to take off."