No Cease- Fire in Middle East
BLITZER: We just heard from the Palestinian delegate to the United States about the latest crisis here in the Middle East. Now we want to get an Israeli perspective. Joining us now is Danny Danon. He's a Likud member of the Knesset until recently. He was the deputy defense minister. But he was fired because of his strong views on what's going on. Danny Danon, thanks very much for joining us.</s>DANNY DANON, FORMER ISRAELI DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER: Thank you, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, a man you know well, he fired you because of comments you made, specifically when you suggested that the prime minister was proving he was irresponsible -- the prime minister was irresponsible in going along with a cease-fire. You opposed the cease-fire. Why?</s>DANON: Wolf, I have a reputation of being a straight shooter. And when the prime minister accepted the premature cease-fire, I told him, I cannot accept it. It is not responsible. We cannot have a cease-fire where there are dozens of tunnels beneath the border, with thousands of rockets aiming at that. I said it publicly. He fired me. But it changed the decision. And now I suppose the prime minister, the people of Israel telling Netanyahu, keep going, do whatever you need to do, but bring stability, bring tranquility to the region. And we know that we have to continue to fight with Hamas.</s>BLITZER: Since you were fired as deputy defense minister, the government accepted a few cease-fires, Hamas did not. Let's say they accepted another cease-fire right now. Would that be appropriate?</s>DANON: I think it would be a mistake. You do not negotiate with the Hamas. You do not beg with Hamas. You make them beg. And I think what Secretary Kerry did in the last week was a mistake. It put Israel and the Hamas in the same level. It's like I will tell you that the U.S. and al Qaeda are in the same level. We should fight with Hamas.</s>BLITZER: Well, how -- why do you say that the secretary of state of the United States put Israel and Hamas -- Hamas isn't even recognized by the United States. It's considered a terrorist organization. The U.S. doesn't even talk to Hamas. Why would you say that Kerry, the secretary of state of the United States, Israel's major supporter, would put Hamas in the same category as the - as Israel?</s>DANON: Secretary Kerry's proposal was an insult for us.</s>BLITZER: Why was it an insult?</s>DANON: Because when you say a cease-fire between the Hamas and Israel and you don't address the main issues of the missiles, of the tunnels. Today he spoke differently. And I think he spoke better. But last week we said, see the fire (ph), let's stop. We cannot talk with a terrorist organization.</s>BLITZER: My understanding was that that proposal he put forward, which Israel didn't like and the cabinet unanimously rejected it, and we reported that first right here on CNN, they didn't like it not -- because it didn't necessarily allow Israel to finish destroying those tunnels and getting rid of those rockets. The Israelis weren't happy about that.</s>DANON: Look what happened -</s>BLITZER: But Kerry says that Israel can do that now.</s>DANON: Look what happened only four hours ago. Five terrorists tried to get into a Kibutz (ph) in Israel to kidnap kids, to make -- commit a massacre in Israel. We cannot finish the operation as long as there are offensive (ph) tunnels against us. Imagine that you had tunnels coming from Mexico into Arizona with al Qaeda forces. What Secretary Kerry would have done if that would have happened? We need to fight with Hamas as long as it takes, a week, a month, a year. We're backing Netanyahu to do the right thing.</s>BLITZER: And if he accepts this cease-fire, you will --</s>DANON: It's not only me. The people of Israel. The majority within the Likud Party, which I'm a senior member, will tell him, you cannot finish the job in the middle. We started. We have to finish with war (ph) with Hamas.</s>BLITZER: The outgoing head of the Defense Intelligence Agency of the United States -- the Pentagon, the DIA, as it's called, Michael -- Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, he was at a conference in Aspen, Colorado, over the weekend and he said this. I want to play this clip for you. Listen to this.</s>DANON: Sure.</s>LT. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN, DIRECTOR, U.S. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: If Hamas were completely destroyed and, you know, and gone, we would probably end up with something much worse. So the region would end up with something much worse. There would be a worse threat that could come in to the - into the -- sort of the ecosystem there and be - and be more dangerous.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something - something</s>FLYNN: Something like an ISIS or an ISIL, you know, or other of these groups that are in that region right now. So we really have to be careful --</s>BLITZER: He says, you heard him, he's the head of intelligence at the Department of Defense at the Pentagon, he's outgoing now, but he says be careful what you wish for. You get rid of Hamas, what could emerge afterwards might even be worse.</s>DANON: I beg to differ with this opinion. What can be worse than the Hamas? What they will do? They will dig tunnels? They will send rockets? Every night I have to take my two daughters to sleep in the shelter. So what can be worse than that? We are not afraid from what will be after the Hamas. Yes, we think about ISIS and Hezbollah. And they're watching this conflict. And if the outcome would be that we are weak, then Hezbollah and ISIS will come after us. That's why we need to smash Hamas. We need to go against the Hamas and to do it militarily, not negotiation. You don't talk with al Qaeda, you fight al Qaeda. President Obama, he did the right thing when he hunted Osama bin Laden. We need to treat Hamas like you, the people in the U.S., treated Osama bin Laden.</s>BLITZER: Danny Danon, the former deputy defense minister of Israel, thanks very much for joining us.</s>DANON: Thank you very much.</s>BLITZER: Danny Danon here in Jerusalem. A strong perspective who (ph) plenty of Israelis continue to support. There's a big debate going on in Israel right now what to do about a cease-fire, what to do about Hamas. More on that coming up.