Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalates tensions with U.S. President Joe Biden amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Following Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer's speech which called for Netanyahu's replacement, the Israeli leader responded to both due to Biden's backing of Schumer.
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At the cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said "To our friends in the international community, I say: is your memory short? Have you forgotten October 7 so quickly, the worst massacre committed against Jews since the Holocaust? So quickly you are willing to deprive Israel of the right to defend itself against the monsters of Hamas? So quickly have you lost your moral compass?"
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Biden pressures Netanyahu due to Democrats pressuring the Biden administration
(Photo: NBC)
"Instead of pressuring Israel, which is fighting a justified war against a merciless enemy, direct your pressure against Hamas and its patron, Iran. They are the ones posing a danger to the region and the whole world. In any case, we will withstand all pressures, and God willing, we will continue to fight together until absolute victory."
Netanyahu alluded subtly at the opening of the meeting to the attack on him by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for elections in Israel last week, claiming that Netanyahu "lost his way" according to Schumer. "In the international community, some are trying to stop the war now, before achieving all its goals. They do this by baselessly blaming the IDF, the government, and the Prime Minister," Netanyahu said.
Senator Chuck Schumer's speech
"They are calling for elections now, at the height of the war because they know that elections will stop the war and silence the country for at least six months. So let it be clear: if we stop the war now, before achieving all its goals, the implication is that Israel has lost the war, and we will not allow that. Therefore, we must not succumb to these pressures and we will not yield to them," he added.
Netanyahu also addressed the continuation of the fighting. "No international pressure will stop us from achieving all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, freeing all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel. To do this, we will also act in Rafah. This is the only way to eliminate the remaining terror cells and to free all our captives."
"To this end, we have approved operational plans for action in Rafah, including steps to evacuate the civilian population from combat zones. This is a necessary step for military action. Those who say that the operation in Rafah will not happen are the same ones who said that we would not enter Gaza and that we would not renew the fighting after the cease-fire. And so I say again, we will act in Rafah. It will take a few weeks, and it will happen," he concluded.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid responded to Netanyahu's remarks at the opening of the government meeting: "Netanyahu, our memory is not short. We remember who built and funded Hamas, we remember who was the prime minister on October 7, we remember that with you we will lose the war and not retrieve the hostages. We also remember that elections now are the only way to strengthen the IDF, draft the ultra-Orthodox, and repair relations with the Americans."
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Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition leader Lapid
(Photo: Shalev Shalom, SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Schumer's exceptional remarks last week come as the Biden administration is increasingly pressured by the Democratic Party, calling for the suspension of military aid to Israel while bolstering the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Schumer is considered a fervent supporter of Israel and also clarified in his remarks that he opposes a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, which would allow Hamas to reorganize and carry out further attacks against Israeli civilians.
U.S. President Joe Biden praised Schumer and explained that Schumer expressed serious concern, shared by many Americans. Netanyahu's Likud party responded: "Israel is not a banana republic but an independent and proud democracy that chose Prime Minister Netanyahu."
"Contrary to Schumer's remarks, the Israeli public supports an absolute victory over Hamas, rejects the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state, and opposes the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza. Senator Schumer is expected to respect the elected government of Israel and not undermine it. This is always true, especially during wartime," according to the Likud's response.