Prime Minister Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli political figures who advocate accepting Hamas's demands for a full withdrawal from Gaza would have achieved 'zero' victory, contrasting his own approach that yielded the Lebanon security zone framework. He accused the left of posturing as right-wing while being fundamentally leftist, and dismissed critics who question his accomplishments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a Sunday afternoon statement to deliver a broad critique of Israel's political left, while defending his administration's security policy in Lebanon and Gaza. According to the Prime Minister's remarks, members of the security cabinet argued for accepting Hamas's demands — full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a hostage deal — and then returning to 'handle Gaza in two or three years.' Netanyahu characterized this as a willingness to accept 'zero' victory, claiming that those who now question why he did not achieve '100%' were prepared to accept '0%.'
Netanyahu asserted that had he followed their advice and ended the war, the 'Iranian axis' — including Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, Bashar al-Assad, and Ali Khamenei — would have remained at full strength. He claimed that in private conversations, cabinet members offered to 'spin this as a victory image on the channels,' a suggestion he said he categorically rejected. 'If there is a victory, there will be a picture — not before,' he stated.
The Prime Minister contrasted the Israeli approach with the Lebanese government's recent maritime border agreement, which he said gave Hezbollah sovereign waters. 'They preach to us? They gave sovereign sea space to Lebanon; we are entering into their territory,' he said. He described the difference between 'peace from our strength' and 'surrender from their weakness,' noting that Hezbollah welcomed the Lebanese agreement but curses Israel's current framework.
Netanyahu's remarks come weeks after the trilateral security-zone framework with the United States and Lebanon was formalized, as The Zioneer has previously reported. The Prime Minister has consistently framed the Lebanon arrangement as a strategic defeat for Iran and Hezbollah, and has insisted on full freedom of action for the IDF in southern Lebanon. The latest statement reiterates his rejection of any diplomatic or military outcome that would leave the Iranian axis intact.
2 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu: Hamas demand to leave Gaza was an 'enormous defeat'
- StrongNetanyahu says accepting earlier proposal would have won 'nothing'
- DevelopingOfficials: Full IDF withdrawal from Lebanon would be Netanyahu's political suicide
- StrongNetanyahu: No Gaza reconstruction without disarmament; residents who wish to leave should be allowed
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake