By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency / Jewish News Agency
Jerusalem, Israel — September 3, 2024 … Following are the highlights of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem.
“Citizens of Israel, we are in the midst of an existential war against Iran’s axis of evil. The first condition for victory in this existential war is unity among us. We need to stand united as one against a brutal enemy who wants to destroy all of us, without exception – left and right, religious and secular Jew, Christians and Muslims.
We discovered this not only on October 7 Hamas Massacre, but all throughout the war. But we especially discovered again it in the terrible massacre, the cold-blooded execution of six of our hostages: Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Sasha Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sergeant Ori Danino, may G-d avenge them.
In the last 24 hours, I have spoken by telephone with several of their families. During the conversations, I looked at the photos of these pure souls and my heart, the heart of the nation, was shattered. You see the light shining from their faces. You see the hope. You see the nobility. You hear the stories of
their wonderful lives. And all this light is suddenly extinguished. All the purity is brutally cut down by Hamas monsters.
I told the families and I reiterate this evening: I request your forgiveness that we did not succeed in bringing them back alive. We were close, but we did not succeed. I also reiterate this evening: Israel will not overlook this massacre. Hamas will pay a very heavy price.”
Netanyahu added: “Our presence in the Philadelphi Corridor is, first of all, a diplomatic and
strategic issue. We must determine the fact that we are there. I am told: ‘What is going on, we will soon leave? You can leave for 42 days and return afterwards.’ And I say that we have been in this situation before. We were in it when we left Lebanon. With the first rocket, the first missile, ‘We will go in and
conquer the place and we will have great international support for it.’
Thousands of missiles have been fired from there and there was no international support for it. In the Gaza Strip, now that we have done this, they said: ‘What’s the problem? With the first rocket, we will go in. The first rocket that is fired above ground or smuggled underground and we will go in.’ Twenty years
passed and we did not go in. Whoever says we can go in and it won’t be a problem, there’s quite a
problem. It is not easy to do such a thing. It is not a question of military tactics as it is a question of the great diplomatic pressure that the entire world will use on us. If we leave – we will not go back.
It was very difficult for us to overcome the international pressure, which I withstood, in order to go into Rafah. See what it has cost us. There was considerable pressure on us. They brought us to the ICC a day or two before the decision. They knew that we were going to approve the decision. We have been subjected to an embargo that is spreading. We paid with the lives of our soldiers. But this is nothing compared to what will be directed against us if we leave. Everyone understands the importance of this but do not support us; they want us to finish the war. This, in effect, is what everyone wants – for us to finish the war.
I know that if we leave Gaza, it could be that we will not return for 42 years, because we left there and did not go back for 20 years. After we have sacrificed, fought, captured and grabbed them by the throat and this is what can also give us the hostages.
This is also preventing the hostages from being smuggled underground. They could take them and smuggle them to Sinai, it is only a few meters away.
They cross the fence and disappear. They could reappear in Iran or Yemen – no way.
Here is a page of instructions that was found by our soldiers in a tunnel for senior Hamas commanders (see photo above). By the way, the media said that this is Sinwar but I cannot commit to that. I can commit that it was senior Hamas commanders. Here is the original document in Arabic and here is the translation: Increase the distribution of photos and videos of the hostages due to the psychological pressure that they create. Do everything to increase the psychological pressure on Gallant. Continue with the line that Netanyahu is responsible for what happened. Strike at the Israeli narrative that the ground operation serves the return of the hostages. This is Hamas’s message sheet.
This is Hamas’s strategy. It wants to divide us; it is counting on internal rifts.
It thinks that the people of Israel will follow this – it is mistaken. I said during the debate over refusal to serve, that on the day of need, we will all line up together. I thought that debate was terrible. It created among our enemies the expectation that we were weak and divided, and that we would be defeated –
but on the day the order was given, all of us fought.
Now Hamas is creating the same narrative, the same delusion, that we will be defeated on cardinal things that are important to ensuring our future and our existence, that it is possible to sow discord and strife among us and defeat us.
I will not give in to this pressure; I have withstood greater pressure. Neither will our people give in to this pressure because most of the public understands exactly what I have said. It is not important what can be seen from bunkers or on TV screens – I say to Sinwar: Forget it. This will not happen.
We need to stand united on our existential interest. We need to act together so that the other side will understand, like it understood about an end to the war; it will also understand here that we will not give in on what is essential. We do give in on things that are not essential. I have given great room for flexibility throughout the year and also now. But on existential things, we stand together.
As soon as Hamas understands this – there will be a deal. The moment that it understands this – we will ensure both our existence and our future.
Together we will stand, together we will fight, and – with G-d’s help – together
we will win.”
