Netanyahu tells WSJ Israel is ‘not going to leave Hamas in power in Gaza’

Prime Minister talks about the effect that changing US support had on Israel’s war effort

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a firm stance regarding the situation in Gaza in a recent interview with Wall Street Journal editorial writer Elliot Kaufman.

“I’m not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “We’re not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 30 miles from Tel Aviv. It’s not going to happen.”

Netanyahu was responding to a question regarding the hostage deal being currently discussed. He is willing to discuss a temporary ceasefire but remains firmly committed to removing Hamas from Gaza.

During the interview, Netanyahu also talked about the early days of the war, claiming that military leaders wanted to pause the fighting in Gaza and target Hezbollah in Lebanon, after the terror group joined the war on October 8.

According to Netanyahu, “the defense minister and the military chiefs suggested we go after Lebanon. That is, shift the whole war north, against Hezbollah, and leave Hamas intact in the south.”

Netanyahu says he told the leaders that “we shouldn’t conduct a two-front war. One massive front at a time.”

The prime minister also praised U.S. President Joe Biden for visiting Israel on October 18, 2023.

“It’s the first time a U.S. president came to Israel at a time of war,” Netanyahu said, “and he sent two carrier battle groups, which was important to stabilize the northern front.”

This U.S. support enabled Israel to keep its initial focus on Hamas in Gaza. However, Netanyahu also had to confront U.S. opposition to how Israel wanted to fight the war.

He claimed that the U.S. wanted Israel to only engage in air campaigns against Hamas, avoiding a ground campaign due the “intense tunnel warfare” the IDF was expected to encounter.

“Nobody had ever fought with such intense tunnel warfare in such a dense urban area,” Netanyahu stated.

However, he said Israel knew the limitations of an air campaign.

“From the air, you can mow the lawn, he said, referring to a common IDF idiom for security operations in Gaza over the years. “You can’t pull out the weeds. We’re here to uproot Hamas—not to deliver deterrent blows, but to destroy it.”

Netanyahu also said the firm U.S. support along with the IDF ground campaign into Gaza is what provoked Hamas to agree to the first hostage release ceasefire deal.

“Hamas saw us moving, moving, moving with American support,” he remarked. However, the rapid loss of unconditional support from the U.S., and the pressure from international bodies, changed the situation.

After the war restarted, when Hamas refused to release any more hostages and resumed firing rockets at Israel, “they (the U.S.) began to turn on us in the media and in the West,” Netanyahu stated.

Netanyahu also acknowledged the impact of the de facto U.S. arms embargo.

“The U.S. withheld critical weapons,” he noted. However, the prime minister said he understands the pressure Biden faced from many in his own party.

“It’s not easy to be president, let’s face it, with these very radical fringes in his party. It wasn’t easy to do what Mr. Biden did,” he told the WSJ.

Netanyahu spoke highly of President-elect Donald Trump, saying, “President Trump has supported Israel throughout this war.”

He also hopes that Trump’s ultimatum to Hamas will help bring about a hostage release.

“The threat to Hamas can only help. He places the onus squarely on Hamas and tells them there will be consequences.”