ISRAELI prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended a minister from his government for suggesting Gaza could be nuked.
Amichai Eliyahu, who is a member of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party, was suspended from his role as Israel’s heritage minister over the inflammatory remarks in a radio interview.
Asked on Radio Kol Berama whether an atomic bomb should be dropped on Gaza, Eliyahu replied: “This is one of the possibilities.”
He also objected to delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, branding Palestinians “Nazis”, adding: “They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves.”
The Times of Israel reported he also said those who waved flags in support of Palestine or Hamas “shouldn’t continue living on the face of the Earth” and claimed that “there is no such thing as uninvolved civilians in Gaza”.
His comments were criticised by Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid who said the nuclear bomb remark was “horrifying and insane”, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
Netanyahu has suspended Eliyahu from his government and has barred him from attending cabinet meetings indefinitely, the paper said.
In a statement, the Israeli PM said: “Amichai Eliyahu’s words are detached from reality.
“Israel and the IDF are acting in accordance with the highest standards of international law in order to prevent harm to uninvolved people, and we will continue to do that all the way to victory.”
While a member of government, Eliyahu had no role in wartime decision making.
