Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to criticism Monday from President Joe Biden by saying that pressuring Israel, in the wake of Hamas’s murder of six hostages, will only encourage Hamas to kill more hostages.
Netanyahu, speaking at a press briefing, delivered a presentation almost entirely in Hebrew. He began by noting that Israel is in an existential struggle for survival against a brutal enemy. He apologized — as he had done before — to the families of the six murdered hostages, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who were killed as Israeli soldiers neared the location underground where they were being held: “We were close, but we did not succeed.”
The prime minister then showed maps on a screen to explain the strategic importance of the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border. Before Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, he noted, Israel controlled the border. After the “disengagement,” when Israel no longer controlled the border, Hamas was able to smuggle in weapons that it used to attack Israel. It was necessary, he said, to hold the corridor to prevent Hamas from rearming.
Against those Israeli military leaders and officials who suggested Israel could afford to withdraw from the corridor for the first six weeks of a proposed hostage deal, Netanyahu said there was no such thing as a “temporary” withdrawal. International pressure, he said, would prevent Israel from taking back the corridor once it had given it up. “This thing [giving up the Philadelphi Corridor] will not bring back the hostages — quite the opposite,” Netanyahu concluded.
Netanyahu criticized those who said that Israel should reverse a recent security cabinet decision to hold onto the Philadelphi Corridor — referring to defense minister Yoav Gallant, though not by name. “What message does that send to Hamas? Murder hostages and win victories?” he asked. He showed reporters a Hamas document, found by soldiers in Gaza, that suggested using psychological pressure on Israel by blaming Netanyahu and targeting Gallant.
Netanyahu then addressed the criticism from President Biden, who said earlier Monday that Netanyahu was not doing enough to achieve a deal. Without addressing Biden directly, Netanyahu read quotes from senior American officials who had been saying for months that Israel had accepted the terms of a proposed deal, and that Hamas had not. There would be a deal, he said, when Hamas realized Israel was united on existential issues like Philadelphi.
Later, when he was asked a question in English, Netanyahu repeated the quotes from American officials, and added:
What has changed in the last five days? What has changed? One thing: these murderers executed six of our hostages. They shot them in the back of the head. That’s what changed. And now, after this, we’re asked to show seriousness? We’re asked to make concessions? What message does this send Hamas? It says, kill more hostages, murder more hostages, you’ll get more concessions. The pressure, internationally, must be directed at these killers — at Hamas, not at Israel. We say yes, they say no all the time — but they also murdered these people. And now we need maximum pressure on Hamas. I don’t believe that either President Biden or anyone serious about achieving peace, and achieving the release [of the hostages], would seriously ask Israel to make these concessions. We’ve already made them. Hamas has to make the concessions.
Asked when residents of Israel’s northern communities — tens of thousands of whom have been evacuated due to rocket attacks by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon — could return home, Netanyahu said that it would require a change in the security situation, hinting at possible war.
Israel has said that it wants Hezbollah to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, move north of the Litani River, and stop attacking Israel. If diplomacy fails, Israel has said it is prepared to go to war in Lebanon.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.