Israel Threatens Gazans With "HOLOCAUST"

Israel Warns Of Invasion Of Gaza

Last Updated: Friday, 29 February 2008, 15:36 GMT
Courtesy Of The BBC

Israel's deputy defence minister has said it will be left with "no choice" but to invade Gaza...

Matan Vilnai said the Palestinians risked a big disaster - using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust.

...Speaking on Israel Army Radio, Mr Vilnai said if Palestinians increased rocket fire, they will bring upon themselves what he called a "shoah" - a Hebrew word for catastrophe, and for the Nazi Holocaust.

The BBC's Katya Adler in Jerusalem says many of Mr Vilnai's colleagues have quickly distanced themselves from his comments and also tried to downplay them saying he did not mean genocide.

"We're getting close to using our full strength. Until now, we've used a small percentage of the army's power because of the nature of the territory," he added.

Separately, the chairman of the Knesset's defence and foreign affairs committee, Tzachi Hanegbi, said Israel "must make a strategic decision to order the army to prepare quickly".

A recent opinion poll has indicated a majority of Israelis favour a truce with Hamas.