Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his determination to continue military operations in Gaza, despite mounting protests and criticism from political opponents. In a pre-recorded statement, Netanyahu pointed to the existential threat posed by Israel’s current reality. He maintained that the country has “no other alternative” but to defend for its existence.
Dostri said that, “You just can’t bring everyone back.” He was speaking about the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the current war. The Hostage Families Forum Headquarters strongly condemned his comments. They charged that the government had given up on working to release the captives.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid seized on Dostri’s remarks, calling them “an admission that the Israeli government has given up on the effort to bring the hostages home.” He called upon Netanyahu to explain the government’s position. If this indeed is the Prime Minister’s final position, he needs to rise up and state it himself,” she declared. If not, he ought to apologize in shame on behalf of his spokesperson’s.”
The Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip has gone on unabated after a two-month ceasefire agreement collapsed on March 18. This ceasefire had provided for the release of 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages. Both Israel and the United States have pointed fingers at Hamas for the failure of talks. Hamas turned down an Israeli offer to extend a ceasefire. Against this backdrop, Netanyahu cited Hamas’ no as the reason for continued bombardments.
Public dissent is becoming more and more common. Thousands of Israeli military reservists and retirees are publicly demanding a ceasefire agreement that puts the return of all hostages first, even at the cost of stopping military activity.
Netanyahu’s incendiary remarks earlier this week included some inflammatory musings about what the governance of Gaza should look like. Cohen pointed out that U.S. ownership of the narrow strip could be a way forward. That would represent a significant change of direction when it comes to the territory that’s home to more than two million Palestinians.
In his speech, Netanyahu hammered home his defense bonafides and addressed Iran as the biggest threat to Israel. I’m resolute to make sure — I’m determined to make sure that Iran doesn’t acquire a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Persistent civil disobedience protests against the war are starting to build. Going forward, Netanyahu’s government will need to navigate the difficult task of pursuing effective military strategy while gauging a growing opposition public mood in Israel.
