Netanyahu, under US pressure, says "Do you have amnesia... I will not surrender" in a determined statement

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, sharply criticized allies, including the United States, who are negative about the Gaza Strip war policy.

On the 17th (local time), during the weekly cabinet meeting opening remarks, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "To our friends in the international community, I ask if you have amnesia, and if you have so quickly forgotten the massacre against Jews on October 7 last year, the worst since the Holocaust."

He claimed, "Those who want to stop the war spread false claims against the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli government, and the Prime Minister of Israel, and demand holding general elections during the war."

He added, "Are you so quick to deny Israel's right to self-defense against the Hamas monsters? Have you abandoned your moral conscience so quickly?"

Netanyahu’s remarks appear to be in response to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s speech demanding the replacement of the Israeli Prime Minister and President Joe Biden’s criticism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
[Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]

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Earlier, on the 14th, Majority Leader Schumer said in the Senate that support for Israel’s war against Hamas is at its lowest level ever due to excessive civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, and stated, "I believe new elections are the only way for Israel to have a sound and open decision-making process." He argued that dissolving Netanyahu’s cabinet through general elections and bringing new leadership to Israel is the only way to end the Gaza crisis.

President Biden responded the next day, saying, "He gave a good speech," and "I think he expressed serious concerns shared by many Americans."

Netanyahu then urged the international community to increase pressure on Hamas and Iran, not Israel. He reiterated that Israel will not yield to international pressure until it achieves its war objectives and that it will proceed with attacks on Rafah, the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip where refugees have gathered.

Netanyahu said, "No matter how much pressure the international community exerts, it will not prevent us from achieving our goals of eradicating Hamas, releasing hostages, and resolving security threats originating from the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces will operate cautiously in Rafah. It will take weeks, but the operation will proceed regardless."

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