JERUSALEM - The decision to ease the civilian restrictions on the Gaza Strip enables Israel to focus on security-related issues, including the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said during an address to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC) on Monday.

“The cabinet decision to lift the civilian blockade on Gaza and tighten the security blockade is the right decision for Israel, because it negates Hamas propaganda’s main claim,” the prime minister said.

He added that the move would enable Israel and its “friends around the world” to “address our significant demands in the security department.”

Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself by preventing Hamas and Hizbullah – through which, he said, Iran “tries to keep Israel in its hold” – from acquiring weapons with which to attack Israel. “The cabinet decision is aimed at this, at tightening the security blockade,” he said.

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