Responding to criticism from President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that pressuring Israel following Hamas' killing of six hostages would only encourage Hamas to kill more hostages.
At the press conference, Netanyahu delivered his presentation almost entirely in Hebrew. He began by noting that Israel is in a fight for survival against a brutal enemy. As he had done before, he apologized to the families of the six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg Pollin, who was killed when Israeli soldiers approached the site where they were being held underground. “We came close, but we didn't succeed,” he said.
The prime minister projected a map on a screen and explained the strategic importance of the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border. He noted that Israel controlled the border before it withdrew from Gaza in 2005. After the “withdrawal,” when Israel no longer controlled the border, Hamas was able to smuggle weapons to use against Israel. The corridor needed to be secured to prevent Hamas from rearming, he said.
In response to Israeli military leaders and officials suggesting that Israel could afford to withdraw from the corridor for the first six weeks of the hostage deal, Netanyahu said there could be no “temporary” withdrawal. He said that under international pressure, Israel would not be able to take back the corridor once it had given it up. “This is [giving up the Philadelphi Corridor] “We will not release the hostages. Quite the opposite,” Netanyahu concluded.
Netanyahu criticized those who say Israel should reverse a recent security cabinet decision to maintain the Philadelphia Corridor, referring to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant but without naming him. “What message does that send to Hamas? Are we going to win by killing the hostages?” he asked. He showed reporters a Hamas document uncovered by soldiers in the Gaza Strip that suggested applying psychological pressure on Israel by criticizing Netanyahu and targeting Gallant.
Netanyahu then addressed criticism from President Biden, who said early Monday that Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach an agreement. Without directly mentioning Biden, Netanyahu read out statements from senior U.S. officials who have maintained for months that Israel has accepted the terms of the proposed agreement but Hamas has not. A deal will be reached, he said, once Hamas understands that Israel is united on existential issues like Philadelphia.
Asked later in English, Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated what the US official had said, adding:
What has changed in these last five days? What has changed? Only one thing: killers killed six hostages. They shot them in the back of the head. That has changed. And now are we being asked to show seriousness? Are we being asked to make concessions? What message does this send to Hamas? It says, kill more hostages, kill more hostages, and then we can make more concessions. International pressure must be directed at these killers. Not at Israel, but at Hamas. We say yes, and they always say no. But they killed these people too. And now we need to put maximum pressure on Hamas. I don't believe that President Biden, or anyone who is serious about making peace, about making liberation, is going to be able to meet Israel's demands. [of the hostages]”We will seriously ask Israel to make these concessions. We have made concessions. Hamas must make concessions.
Asked when tens of thousands of northern Israeli residents displaced by Hezbollah rocket attacks from southern Lebanon would be able to return home, Netanyahu said a change in the security situation was needed and hinted at the possibility of war.
Israel says it wants Hezbollah to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and move north of the Litani River to stop attacks on Israel. Israel has said it is prepared to go to war in Lebanon if diplomatic talks fail.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump's presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
