Amid international pressure to slow war efforts, Israel's PM is standing firm in his mission to rid Gaza of Iran-backed militia Hamas, urging the international community to instead pressure Iran, the region's biggest state sponsor of terror.
Addressing the international community, Benjamin Netanyahu urged a shift in focus towards the true threats in the region. "Instead of putting pressure on Israel, which is fighting a just war, against an enemy that cannot be more cruel, direct your pressure against Hamas and its patron, Iran," he urged.
Netanyahu and his ally of decades, Joe Biden, have endured increasing strains on their relationship in the wake of the Gaza war, in which Hamas claims over 30,000 civilians have been killed and the UN claims Gaza is on the brink of starvation.
"Since the beginning of the war, we have been fighting on two fronts - the military front and the political front," Netanyahu stated on Sunday at the opening of the State Security Cabinet. "There are those in the international community who are trying to stop the war now, before all its goals are achieved."
Netanyahu appeared to reference recent remarks from US Democrat leaders, including President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whom he accused of attempting to impede Israel's efforts to both rescue the more than 130 hostages still in Gaza, and to wipe out Iran-backed terror group Hamas.
"They do this by making false accusations against the IDF, against the Israeli government and against the Prime Minister of Israel," Netanyahu claimed. "And they do this because they know that elections now will stop the war and paralyze the country for at least six months."
Netanyahu reiterated the need to continue with the country's military mission, "If we stop the war now, before all of its goals are achieved, it means that Israel has lost the war, and we will not allow that."
While the US was quick to support Israel's right to defend itself in the wake of the atrocities of Hamas's invasion on October 7, when 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and 250 more taken hostage in Gaza, the massive death toll and international backlash has seen Biden step back, with threats to slow the flow of arms to Israel.
