Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a joint news conference Tuesday that if Gaza’s ruling Hamas terror organization breaks the calm and attacks Israel, the response will be “very powerful.”
The Secretary arrived in Israel Monday night for talks in the region.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Blinken in Jerusalem, Netanyahu cited President Joe Biden’s support of Israel’s right to self-defense. He noted that during the Gaza war of 2014 – which took place during the Obama administration under which Blinken was the State Department’s Number Two — Blinken supported Israel by facilitating a swift replenishment of Iron Dome interceptors.
“We remember it and we’re very grateful to you,” the prime minister said, noting that Blinken is once again giving meaning to US support of Israel’s right to self-defense by ensuring that Iron Dome replenishments are being supplied, “and we’re grateful for that too,” Netanyahu said.
“We too will give meaning to our commitment to our self-defense if Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel. Our response will be very powerful.
“We have discussed ways of how to work together to prevent Hamas rearmament with weapons and means of aggression,” Netanyahu said.
Iran, Expand Peace with Arab States, Address Gaza
“The second point is naturally Iran. We discussed many regional issues, but none is greater than Iran and I can tell you that I hope that the United States will not go back to the old JCPOA, because we believe that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy.
“Whatever happens, Israel will always reserve the right to defend itself against a regime committed to our destruction, committed to getting the weapons of mass destruction for that end,” Netanyahu said.
The third point is peace. We need to work together to expand normalization between Israel and the Arab and the Muslim world and deepen the peace treaties that we already have.
We also discussed how to improve the lives and the conditions of the Palestinians, the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, including the question of the return of our MIAs and two civilians who are there, as well as building economic growth for Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, with international cooperation and participation.
As for peace itself with the Palestinians, a formal peace, I think President Biden was absolutely correct when he said you’re not going to get peace until Israel is recognized as an independent Jewish state, and that is the key. I couldn’t agree more with President Biden and I couldn’t be happier than welcoming you here and your delegation in Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu added that Israel and the US have common goals of peace, security and prosperity.”
The prime minister also thanked Blinken “and the president” for their “strong statements” against antisemitism expressed as anti-Zionism, “but it’s antisemitism… I think all decent people everywhere appreciate that stance.”
Four Reasons for Blinken’s Visit
In response, Blinken thanked Netanyahu for the “very good and lengthy conversation” and said Biden asked him to come to Israel for four reasons:
- To demonstrate the commitment of the United States to Israel’s security,
- To work toward greater stability and reduce tensions in
the West Bank and Jerusalem, - To support urgent humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for Gaza “to benefit the Palestinian people” and
- To “continue to rebuild our relationship with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority.”
Losses on both sides were profound,” Blinken said. “Casualties are often reduced to numbers but behind every number is an individual human being – a daughter, a son, a father, a mother, a grandparent, a best friend. And as the Talmud teaches, to lose a life is to lose the whole world, whether that life is Palestinian or Israeli.
“I underscored to the prime minister something that President Biden made crystal-clear throughout the violence: The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks such as the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas indiscriminately against Israeli civilians.
“For the President, I think as many of you know, this commitment is personal. It runs deep,” Blinken said. He commented the president has been one of Israel’s “most steadfast supporters” for the last 50 years, “having worked closely with every prime minister starting with Golda Meir” and now with Netanyahu, he said.
Blinken also confirmed that he and Netanyahu had a “detailed discussion” about Israel’s security needs, including the need to replenish the Iron Dome.
“We’ll continue to strengthen all aspects of our longstanding partnership. And that includes consulting closely with Israel, as we did today, on the ongoing negotiations in Vienna around a potential return to the Iran nuclear agreement, at the same time as we continue to work together to counter Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region,” Blinken said.
“We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges, and that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild.
“The United States will work to rally international support around that effort while also making our own significant contributions,” he said.
“We’ll work with our partners, closely with all to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance,” Blinken vowed.
Moral equivalency was still in evidence, however, with Blinken repeatedly underlining that “both sides” had suffered and that “assistance and investment” is required for Gaza and the “West Bank,” and ultimately will benefit Israel as well.
“We need to work to expand opportunity for Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank, including by strengthening the private sector, expanding trade and investment, and other means. Assistance and investment like these will help foster a more stable environment that benefits Palestinians and also benefits Israelis,” he said.
Shocking Eruption of Antisemitic Attacks in US, Too
“The prime minister and I had a chance to discuss other steps that need to be taken by leaders on both sides to set a better course for their shared future. As President Biden has said, we believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely; to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity, and democracy; to be treated with dignity,” he said.
“We also discussed some of the intercommunal violence that erupted in Israel during the conflict and healing these wounds will take leadership at every level of society, from elected officials to community leaders to neighbors. And we very much welcome the statements the prime minister made and members of his government made condemning the attacks regardless of whom they
targeted.
“In our own country, in the United States, we’ve witnessed a shocking eruption of antisemitic attacks. As President Biden said. . . they are despicable and they must stop.
“There’s a lot of hard work ahead to restore hope, respect, and some trust across communities. But we’ve seen the alternative, and I think that should cause all of us to redouble our efforts to preserve the peace and improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he added.