Evil man and his poodle.
Netanyahu: Trump told me to finish the job in Gaza
Story by Iona Cleave
• 4h•
3 min read
Donald Trump meets Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office in April - Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty
Benjamin Netanyahu said
Donald Trump urged him to reject a partial ceasefire deal with Hamas and continue the war in Gaza with “full force”.
Israel’s prime minister refused to hold a vote on the proposed truce during a heated security cabinet meeting late on Sunday, claiming that the US president backed his expansion of the conflict.
Instead, the six-hour meeting focused almost exclusively on
accelerating plans for a military offensive inside Gaza City, according to several leaks of the closed-door session.
If Mr Netanhayu’s claim is true, it would represent a notable shift by the US president, who has been calling for the 22-month war to end soon amid international condemnation of Israel’s conduct.
“Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this,” Mr Netanyahu quoted Mr Trump as saying, according to The Times of Israel.
Before the meeting, Channel 12 said sources had told it that Mr Trump had pressed his Israeli counterpart to step up plans to defeat Hamas after losing faith in the gridlocked ceasefire negotiations.
Mr Trump’s new position, according to the sources, is the main reason Mr Netanyahu is pushing for either total control of Gaza or a full ceasefire on Israel’s terms.
Israeli soldiers look at destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip from the Israeli side last month - Amir Levy/Getty
Mr Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza City, which would ultimately include the full takeover of the Strip, has deepened rifts between his government and Israel’s military leadership, which has repeatedly warned against the risk invasion poses to the hostages and its fatigued troops.
Related video: Trump predicts that the war in Gaza will end in weeks (KameraOne)
Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief,
who clashed with the prime minister over the new offensive, told cabinet members on Sunday that “there is a [ceasefire] framework on the table, [and] we must take it,” according to Channel 12.
Other senior ministers also reportedly supported the deal, citing Israel’s growing isolation on the world stage and its
Western allies’ decisions to recognise a Palestinian state.
Despite their insistence, Mr Netanyahu responded that there is “no need for a vote; it’s not on the table”, and that a partial deal “is not relevant”.
Withdrawing from some areas captured in Israel’s latest “Gideon’s Chariots” offensive – which has
left the IDF in control of 75 per cent of Gaza – would be a “heavy price”, he said.
The Israeli leader’s statements come amid intensified protests in Israel to end the war and
secure the release of the remaining 48 hostages held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Hamas accepted a temporary ceasefire proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators two weeks ago. The phased deal would result in a 60-day truce in exchange for half the hostages, and is broadly similar to one Israel previously approved.
However, Mr Netanyahu has since changed gear and is now pushing for a comprehensive agreement that would secure the release of all hostages and a permanent end to the war on Israel’s terms.
But it is unclear how or when Israel could achieve such a feat. Experts have warned that the goal to “completely destroy” Hamas is unachievable, while critics say Mr Netanyahu is only continuing the war to save his political skin.
The full-scale offensive in Gaza City is not expected to start for weeks until the civilian population has been evacuated. So far, only thousands have left the overcrowded city that is considered Hamas’s last stronghold.
Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza City in early August - Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Israel has nevertheless pushed tanks deeper into the east of the city on Monday and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses.
In leaflets dropped over Gaza City, the IDF military told residents to head south immediately, saying it intended to expand its offensive westward of the city.
Ad
INCLY 26PCS Upgrade Geology Rock Pick Hammer Kit, 33.8 Oz Hammer & 4 PCS Digging Chisels Set For Rock Hounding, Gold Mining & Prospecting Equipment
Amazon.com
At least 19 people were killed in air strikes on Monday, according to officials in the Hamas-run Strip.
The White House has been approached for comment.
On Monday, the largest professional organisation of scholars studying genocide said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Eighty six per cent of members of the International Association of Genocide Scholars – which has around 500 members worldwide, including a number of Holocaust experts – voted on a resolution accusing Israel of crimes including “indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians and civilian infrastructure”.
“Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide,” according to the group’s resolution, referring to Article II of the 1948 UN convention on genocide.