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“From an Israeli perspective, we simply cannot stay in Gaza. That’s a really bad idea,” said Lianne Pollak-David, a former adviser at Israeli Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the National Security Council, and co-founder of the Coalition for Regional Security. Talking to Channel 4 News, Pollak-David spoke about the temporary ceasefire line in Gaza and what needs to happen next – to move to the second phase of President Trump’s peace plan. But could this line that currently splits up Gaza into Israeli and Hamas rule end up being permanent? “It cannot become permanent,” said Pollak-David. “It’s a huge burden on our economy and our soldiers are needed elsewhere. They need to also go home. A lot of our soldiers are reserve soldiers, and it’s almost somewhat dangerous for the Israeli security, for Israel’s economy. It’s in no one’s interest.” Speaking about the national feeling within Israel at the moment, she told Jackie Long “the vast majority of Israelis are wanting to see a political change, almost ashamed of the fact that this government is the most extreme right government ever formed in the history of Israel”. On Trump’s peace plan, she said the latest developments equate to “locking and throwing away the key on the idea of annexation”. Doing this “puts the radical right-wing in Israel into a spot”. We asked if she thought the ceasefire could hold through the next few months, and Pollak-David said she was “cautiously hopeful”, adding: “I think that what we’re seeing right now from President Trump is determination like no other.”
