As the IDF unveils its updated security zone map in southern Lebanon, Avi Maoz is voicing sharp criticism of current policy, calling the ceasefire a major strategic mistake that undermines Israel’s long-term security goals.

In an interview on Kol Chai radio’s central news program, the Noam party chairman argued that the ceasefire disrupts Israel’s sustained effort to dismantle what he described as Iran’s regional “axis of evil.” “This ceasefire restores the Gordian knot between Tehran and Hezbollah to existence,” Maoz warned, adding that military control alone is insufficient to ensure lasting sovereignty without the complete destruction of the enemy.

Maoz dismissed attempts to pursue direct dialogue with the Lebanese government, even with American backing, describing such efforts as illusory. He contended that Israel’s conflict is not with Lebanon as a state, but with Hezbollah, which he characterized as an extension of Iranian influence that must be eliminated entirely. Referring to past Israeli leadership approaches to defeating terrorism, he emphasized: “We must destroy the terrorists completely. A peace agreement with Lebanon does not work,” arguing that the government in Beirut is either unable or unwilling to enforce its authority over Hezbollah in the south.

On the national front, Maoz pointed to the upcoming 60th anniversary of the liberation of Yerushalayim and Judea and Samaria as a milestone for completing what he called a “historic mission.” He called for full Israeli sovereignty over these areas, from Chevron to Shechem. The planned reestablishment of the community of Sa-Nur, he said, represents the beginning of correcting the 2005 disengagement from northern Samaria.

For Maoz, the struggle extends beyond territory to the broader question of Israel’s identity. “The state needs to appear as a Jewish state—that is our struggle,” he said, stressing the importance of preserving Jewish character in the public sphere.

Despite his harsh criticism of Israel’s Supreme Court interventions in matters related to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Shabbos demonstrations, Maoz expressed optimism about the future. He rejected claims that the Jewish people are experiencing a “spiritual exile,” pointing instead to the unprecedented growth of Torah study since the Holocaust.

{Matzav.com}