Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday quietly criticized U.S. President Joe Biden ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit, saying Israel “will not agree to any deal at any cost” to the administration. warned.
I will return to the Middle East this week to continue working with our partners on how to achieve lasting peace in the region while ensuring lasting security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 2, 2024
The unusual criticism was accompanied by a subtle rebuke of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right Cabinet member who has publicly criticized Biden. wall street journal interview “If Trump had been in power, America’s behavior would have been completely different,” he said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and other ministers criticized Ben Gvir risks damaging U.S.-Israel relations by publicly criticizing Biden, adding to the growing quiet dissatisfaction in Israel with the Biden administration’s stance.
The White House is pressuring Israel to accept a Palestinian state as a result of the current war against Hamas, which started the war by launching a major terrorist attack in Israel on October 7. Israel says it will bring retribution to Hamas terrorists.
Additionally, the White House stopped short of achieving Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas as a military and governing power, and released the remaining approximately 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an end to the war. It is said that the United States is pressing Israel to make an agreement to do so.
Mr. Blinken’s State Department is reportedly considering the option of unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state, and although Mr. Blinken initially expressed sympathy for Israel, he spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. He criticized Israelis for his remarks.
In a statement to the cabinet released by the government press office, Prime Minister Netanyahu said (emphasis added):
Israel is a sovereign state. We are extremely grateful for the support we have received from the Biden administration since the outbreak of war, including in weapons, international organizations, and the deployment of troops to the region. This does not mean that there are no differences of opinion between us, but as of today we have managed to overcome them with firm and balanced decisions.
I would like to tell you something from my own experience. There are people who say “yes” to everything, even when they should say “no.” Although they are praised by the international community, they are putting national security at risk. And some people say “no” to everything. They are celebrated domestically, but at the same time they are putting vital interests at risk. I would like to tell you something from my experience. Wisdom is knowing how to navigate, saying “yes” when possible and “no” when necessary.
I do not need any assistance in navigating our relationship with the United States and the international community while resolutely defending our national interests. Thanks Gd, I’ve been doing this for several years.
As a sovereign nation fighting for our survival and future, we will make our own decisions, even when we disagree with our friends in the United States.
We would like to clarify our policy. The essential goal is, first and foremost, to eliminate Hamas. Achieving this goal requires three things:
First, the Hamas battalion must be destroyed. So far, we have destroyed 17 out of 24 battalions. Most of the remaining battalions are in the southern Strip and Lafia, and we will deal with them.
Secondly, after the battalion is destroyed, demilitarization must take place, as our forces are working with determination to launch very aggressive raids in the northern and central parts of the Strip. yeah.
Third, underground neutralization actions are necessary. Our forces are doing this systematically in Khan Yunis and across the Strip, but it will take some time.
Efforts to free the hostages are ongoing. As I have emphasized in the Security Cabinet, we will not agree to any deal at any cost. We will never agree with many things that are said in the media as if we agree, such as the release of terrorists.
We recently revealed to the world that UNRWA is collaborating with Hamas, some of whose people even participated in the October 7 atrocities and abductions. This only reinforces what we have known for years: UNRWA is not part of the solution. , that’s part of the problem. The time has come to begin the process of replacing UNRWA with another entity untainted by support for terrorism.
Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel this week. include “Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank.”
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He published his 2021 e-book “The Zionist conspiracy (and how to join it)‘ has been updated and a new preface has been added. He is also the author of a recently published e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
