Published March 1, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a rare midweek press conference on Thursday to emphasize that Israel would continue to fight in Gaza, and defend its interests in spite of international pressure to end the war.
Netanyahu spoke in the wake of a stampede in northern Gaza in which dozens of Palestinians were killed as they mobbed humanitarian aid trucks before dawn Wednesday morning. During the chaos, which reportedly occurred in several waves, Israeli soldiers were charged by civilians and opened fire when the crowd ignored warning shots. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its soldiers were responsible for no more than ten of the deaths in the incident.
The incident illustrated the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which persists because Hamas, the terror organization that launched the war October 7, has refused to accept a temporary ceasefire unless Israel ends the war and leaves.
Netanyahu also condemned a terror attack earlier Thursday in the settlement of Eli, in the Shomron (the northern West Bank), in which two Israelis were murdered at a gas station by a terrorist who turned out to be a member of the Palestinian Authority security services.
Netanyahu praised the unity of the Israeli people in the face of threats. “When we stand together, we are very strong,” he said. He said that the nation’s unity had to be maintained “to achieve final victory.”
Netanyahu recounted the history of Israeli prime ministers before him, each of whom, he said, had faced international pressure every time they were called upon to defend Israel from attack. He noted, however, that ordinary people around the world backed Israel, even if politicians and activists did not. He cited a recent Harvard-Harris poll in the U.S. that showed Americans supported Israel overwhelmingly, and did not support Hamas (rather, they backed its removal).
He also addressed the thorny issue of the military draft. Earlier in the week, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant had said the country would need to draft ultra-Orthodox men who currently enjoy exemption from military service if they are engaged in religious study. Netanyahu said that it was becoming clear that all had to serve in some capacity: “Today, even the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] public recognizes it.” He acknowledged, however, that compromise would be needed.
“It is impossible to achieve complete agreement [on the draft],” he said. “You know where they have complete agreement? North Korea.” He urged flexibility — and unity in the face of the challenges Israel faces, inside and out.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of calling early elections for the Knesset (the country voted in municipal elections earlier this week). He said that elections in the middle of the war would be divisive. (The current Knesset expires in 2026.)
Asked about negotiations to free the 134 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, Netanyahu said that Hamas was not yet in the “region of an agreement,” though he reiterated that Israel was doing everything it could to secure their return.
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
RELATED: Curbing hostage deal hopes, Netanyahu says Hamas putting up ‘brick wall’ of demands
In press conference, PM says terror group refuses to move toward compromise, pledges Rafah operation will take place; claims that elections would mean ‘defeat’ for Israel in Gaza
Published March 1, 2024
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening expressed pessimism that Israel and Hamas could reach a deal to pause fighting in Gaza and release hostages, accusing the terror group of continuing to stonewall Israel rather than make a good faith effort at compromise.
Saying that Israel was continuing to prepare to expand its offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite increasingly strident warnings from the international community against such a move, Netanyahu sought to temper expectations for a deal raised by US President Joe Biden earlier this week when he said a deal was “close.”
“We face a brick wall of delusional, unrealistic Hamas demands,” said Netanyahu in a press conference at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, adding that the terrorist group “knows its demands are delusional and is not even trying to move close to an area of agreement. That’s the situation.”
“We are all hopeful, but I’m giving you the current assessment… We continue to act, continue to hope, but I can’t make a promise at this moment” that a deal will be done, he said, because such a promise would “have no cover.”
Israel and Hamas, which both have delegations in Qatar this week hammering out details of a potential 40-day truce, have said there is still a big gulf between them, and the Qatari mediators say there is no breakthrough yet. Israel’s representatives were set to return from Qatar Thursday, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
RELATED: Netanyahu delivers key speech as hostage talks continue, IDF draft extension looms
Published March 1, 2024
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