Topline
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to resolve his differences with President Joe Biden over the war in Gaza, but insisted he had “no choice” but to destroy Hamas, during an interview with talk show host Dr. Phil that aired Thursday night.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and President Joe Biden can over come their ... [+]
Key Facts
In an interview on the “Dr. Phil Primetime” show, Netanyahu said he has known Biden for over 40 years and “we often had our agreements, but we've had our disagreements.”
In his first interview after Biden threatened to halt the supply of some weapons to his country, Israel’s prime minister said they have overcome their disagreements in the past and he hoped “we can overcome them now.”
Netanyahu, however, insisted a ground assault on Rafah must happen—the sticking point that led to Biden halting weapons supplies to Israel—as his forces have to destroy Hamas presence in the city, adding “rational-minded people understand that we don’t have a choice.”
The Israeli leader insisted that if Hamas is left intact, “they’ll take over Gaza again…they'll do October 7…again, again and again.”
In a video statement released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu dismissed the U.S. threat to halt weapon supplies, saying his country is prepared to stand alone and “fight with our fingernails,” if necessary.
He later added in the interview: “I assure you Dr. Phil, we have more than fingernails.”
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Tangent
Netanyahu lashed out at college campus protests in the U.S. and also appeared to take a veiled shot at Biden and other world leaders who have been critical of him and Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war. He told Dr. Phil some world leaders privately told him Hamas needs to be destroyed, but then “when they are faced with the pressure of all this propaganda, all this madness in the campuses… they begin to fray.” Netanyahu said of the protests, “When they say ‘from the river to the sea,’ that’s wipe out the State of Israel. They’re supporting genocide.” The Israeli leader then claimed the protests reflected “a sorry state of American education…There’s a deep rot and a bankruptcy there.” When asked about antisemitism in the U.S., Netanyahu blamed “a fusion of radical Islam and the ultra-anarchist left.”
Key Background
Earlier this week, Biden said the U.S. will not supply weapons to Israel if it presses forward with a ground offensive on Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where more than 1.2 million people are taking refuge. The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed its opposition to Israel’s Rafah assault plan over concerns it could lead to major civilian casualties and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Before Biden’s comments, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed reports the U.S. had paused one shipment of “high-payload munitions” to Israel. According to the reports the halted shipment included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.
Further Reading
Biden Says ‘I’m Not Supplying The Weapons’ If Israel Attacks Rafah (Forbes)
Israelis ready to fight with their fingernails, Netanyahu says in veiled Biden rebuff (Reuters)
