During his fourth address to the U.S Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday June 24th, 2024, laid out his vision for the post-war day.
As Israel’s war on Gaza rounds out its ninth month, with more than 39,000 Palestinians killed, the pressure is nevertheless rising for Netanyahu to end the conflict.
Ceasefire negotiations have been ongoing for months. Families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza told the US news outlet NPR they hoped Netanyahu would use his speech to announce “a deal has been completed”.
Yet, Netanyahu disappointed such expectations by reiterating far-right rhetoric criticized for dehumanizing Palestinians.
“This is not a clash of civilizations but between barbarism and civilization,” Netanyahu asserted before Congress. “It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life. To ensure victory for civilization, America and Israel must stand together, leading to their defeat,” Netanyahu said.
Hamas in press statement revealed that all human rights, humanitarian, and international reports have confirmed that Netanyahu and his army have committed acts of mass murder and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, unprecedented in contemporary global wars.
“The use of starvation, preventing aid, burning, and destroying the Rafah border crossing, and killing many humanitarian workers are clear evidence of his false claims about aid entering the sector,” it added.
Netanyahu insisted on Hamas’ defeat as a prerequisite for peace, advocating only “total victory.” He envisioned post-war Gaza under Israeli security control, prompting concerns about further Palestinian displacement and oppression.
Hamas affirmed that Netanyahu’s visions for the future of Gaza are mere illusions and fantasies he is trying to market.
“Our people alone have the right to decide their destiny and choose their rulers.”
“While Israel envisions a demilitarized, deradicalized Gaza, we will retain security control,” Netanyahu explained. He emphasized reshaping Palestinian education towards peace and sought increased, expedited US military aid, despite fears of rights violations.
“It would have been more appropriate to arrest Netanyahu as a war criminal and hand him over to the International Criminal Court rather than giving him an opportunity to polish his image before the world and cover up the mass murder and ethnic cleansing operations in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas confirmed.
The US currently grants Israel $3.8bn annually in military aid, and April saw President Biden approving up to $17bn more.
Hamas added that Washington, by continuing to provide all forms of political and military support to the Israeli occupation state and giving Netanyahu a platform in Congress to wash the blood of innocent children off the hands of war criminals, confirms its full partnership in the heinous violations committed in Gaza.
“Faster US aid will expedite Gaza’s peace and curb Middle East conflict risks,” Netanyahu urged Congress. “Accelerate aid delivery for quicker results.”
Hamas said that Netanyahu’s talk about intensive efforts to release the Israeli prisoners is nothing but lies and deception of Israeli, American, and global public opinion. He has thwarted all efforts to end the war and strike a deal to release the prisoners.
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