FM Sa’ar: “The Paper is not as important as the reality on the ground. The reality on the ground is what determines the outcome. We will not allow a violation of the arrangement. We will respond immediately to any violation."
In a statement to the media with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar Foreign made his first reference to the ceasefire in Lebanon:
“The security cabinet decided on a ceasefire, after Hezbollah realized the hard way that it was not worth attacking Israel.
We were attacked by Hezbollah on October 8, just as we were attacked by Hamas on October 7. They announced that they would continue to fire on Israel as long as the war in Gaza continued.
The paper is not as important as the reality on the ground. The reality on the ground is what determines the outcome. We will not allow a violation of the arrangement. We will respond immediately to any violation.
We will not allow Hezbollah to advance south of the Litani River. We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm, build its power, and pose a threat to Israel once again.
We have learned a lesson from October 7, and the Israeli government is determined to prevent this from happening again in the future."
FM Sa’ar added:
“The events of October 7 are still ongoing.
The reality in the Middle East is that Israel is facing attacks from several fronts: Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Gaza. Israel has not initiated conflicts on any of these fronts; it is merely responding with force to aggression directed against it and its citizens. Israel is undoubtedly one of the most attacked and threatened countries in the world, facing a direct and overt threat of destruction, including from Iran, which is acting on the sidelines.
Iran's leaders have openly declared their intention and are working to realize it.
Therefore, Israel’s right to defend itself is critical in the dangerous region it finds itself in. This is precisely why the latest decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is so outrageous. The decision violates the fundamental right of a democratic state to defend itself – a state that operates under the rule of law, with an independent judiciary, and upholds international humanitarian law even when attacked by terrorists, and hostile states that abuse international law.
Apart from being outrageous, the ICC's decision also sets a dangerous precedent for democratic states. The court was not established to harm democracies or the rule of law, but to protect them. The decision undermines the court's credibility and deepens the gap between it and the principles of international law. It weakens democracies that are already struggling. This is not only Israel's struggle in the Middle East against dark forces, but also struggles that are happening now and will happen in the future in other parts of the world."