Benjamin Netanyahu denies he vetoed Gaza deal to save his premiership
Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out resigning as Israel’s Prime Minister and denied allegations he has vetoed a deal to end the war in Gaza because he fears it would end his premiership.
Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out resigning as Israel’s Prime Minister and denied allegations he has vetoed a deal to end the war in Gaza because he fears it would mean the end of his premiership.
In an interview, Mr Netanyahu said he would stay in office “as long as I believe I can help lead Israel to a future of security – enduring security and prosperity”.
He defended his conduct of the war and the levels of civilian casualties in Gaza, saying there had been a “one-to-one ratio” of civilian deaths to those of fighters.
There have been about 40,000 deaths in Gaza altogether and Israel believes it has killed at least 15,000 militants, although that figure is disputed.
“One-to-one ratio in probably the most difficult urban warfare conditions is an amazing achievement for the Israeli government,” he said.
When the war began, Mr Netanyahu was under intense domestic political pressure. He was facing corruption charges in the courts and mass protests over his plans to reform the rules regarding judicial supremacy.
The Hamas attack on October 7, while showing up weaknesses in Israel’s military preparedness and intelligence systems, paradoxically cemented his stay in office.
The main opposition leader, Benny Gantz, a former military chief of staff, joined his coalition’s war cabinet.
It has led to suggestions in the media that Mr Netanyahu is resisting calls from around the world, including from President Joe Biden, to agree a ceasefire because his government would then collapse.
In an interview with Time magazine, Mr Netanyahu denied this strongly. “There’s this canard,” he said. “This narrative that I’m prolonging the war is false. I’m trying to bring the war to as speedy an end as possible.”
He said that in any case, his prosecution was continuing. “My trial is proceeding in Israel,” he said. “The political leaders have no immunity from prosecution or legal procedures.”
He refused to confirm or deny that Israel was behind the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, which has brought Israel to the edge of a broader war with Iran and its allies.
Mr Netanyahu denied that he had deliberately escalated the situation. “We’re faced with a noose of death that Iran is trying to place around our neck and I think the message we’re sending, 360 degrees, is that we’re not going to be lambs led to the slaughter,” he said. “Israel is not, is not a sacrificial lamb for the Iranians or for their proxies.”
To stay in power after the 2022 election, Mr Netanyahu formed a coalition with far-right parties, bringing them into government for the first time. Their leaders have repeatedly made inflammatory comments about Gaza, the West Bank and their determination to block either a ceasefire deal or a future Palestinian state.
Most recently Bezalel Smotrich, the Finance Minister, referred to the debate over sending aid to Gaza. “It’s not possible in today’s global reality to manage a war,” Mr Smotrich said. “No one will allow us to starve two million people, even though that might be just and moral until they return the hostages.”
The comments were made after the interview with Mr Netanyahu was conducted. But in it, the Israeli Prime Minister said he had rejected Mr Smotrich’s arguments for a full-scale annexation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank.
“I’ve not sought annexation,” Mr Netanyahu said. “I’ve explained that our goal is to achieve a negotiated solution. So far it hasn’t happened, and I hope it will happen one day, but I can’t see it happening without some substantial change in the Palestinian Authority.”
The leaders of the United States, Qatar and Egypt on Thursday called for Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations in either Doha or Cairo next week to overcome differences over a ceasefire deal.
In a joint statement, the three mediators invited the warring parties to resume talks on August 15, saying a framework agreement was “now on the table, with only the details of implementation missing”.
Israel agreed to send a delegation to resume the talks next Friday, Mr Netanyahu’s office said.
The Times
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