"Palestinians need a Nakba every now and then," says ex-'Israeli' intelligence chief

Aharon Haliva, the former head of 'Israel’s' military intelligence who stepped down after the events of October 7, 2023, has been heard defending mass Palestinian deaths in Gaza as both “necessary” and “required for future generations.”

In audio recordings aired Friday on Ulpan Shishi, a flagship news program on 'Israel’s' Channel 12, Haliva said, “The fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations.” He also argued that for each 'Israeli' killed on October 7, 50 Palestinians must die in response.

“There’s no choice, they need a Nakba every now and then to feel the consequences,” Haliva added, referencing the mass displacement and killings of Palestinians during the creation of 'Israel' in 1948. He claimed his remarks were not driven by revenge but rather as “a message for future generations,” describing Gaza as a “disturbed neighbourhood.”

- Military failures and the Hannibal directive -

Haliva resigned from his post in 2024 after admitting responsibility for failing to anticipate Hamas' operation in southern 'Israel', which killed at least 1,195 people, according to the 'Israeli' army. Reports in Haaretz revealed that during the chaos of that day, 'Israel' invoked the controversial “Hannibal directive,” a military procedure that authorizes lethal force to prevent the capture of 'Israeli' soldiers, even at the risk of killing them.

- "Hamas is good for Israel" -

The recordings also touched on 'Israeli' strategy toward the Palestinians. Haliva suggested that 'Israel' had deliberately fostered instability in the West Bank to ensure Hamas, rather than the Palestinian Authority (PA), would gain influence, thereby undermining prospects for a two-state solution.

He alleged that after 'Israel’s' 2014 war on Gaza, a blueprint to dismantle Hamas was drawn up but never carried out. “Hamas is good for Israel, that’s [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich’s argument,” Haliva said, claiming that Smotrich advocates weakening the PA to let Hamas take over in the West Bank, as it did in Gaza.

“Why? Because if the entire Palestinian arena is destabilised and crazy, it is impossible to negotiate with,” he continued. “Then there will be no agreement [on a Palestinian state].”

Haliva stressed that the PA has international legitimacy that restricts 'Israel’s' ability to act freely, whereas Hamas does not. “Hamas is an organisation that you can fight freely, it has no international justification, it has no legitimacy, you can fight it with a sword,” he said.