Netanyahu determined to continue war, ‘even without US help’

NOS News•today, 09:42

Prime Minister Netanyahu says that Israel will continue the war without US help if that country stops arms support. “If we have to, we will fight with our fingernails,” Netanyahu said in a video message. He responded to the US announcement that it would not send attack munitions to Israel for the time being.

US President Biden said yesterday that the US will stop supplying weapons that could be used for an attack on Rafah. “If they move into Rafah, I’m not going to deliver the weapons that have been used in the cities so far,” Biden said. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza by these types of bombs.”

Biden also said the US will continue to support Israel’s defense and provide munitions for the Iron Dome missile shield. “We are not turning our hands away from Israel’s security, but we are turning away from the possibility of waging war in that area.”

The US already put on hold an ammunition supply to Israel earlier this week due to the planned Israeli ground offensive in Rafah. According to American media, these are bombs that Israel uses to bomb underground Hamas bunkers.

In an interview published last night with American talk show host Dr. Phil discusses Netanyahu’s relationship with Biden. “We have always been able to resolve disagreements. I hope we can do that now, but we will do what we have to do to protect our country. And that also means that we will defeat Hamas in Rafah, we have no other choice.”

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Herzog, also calls withholding ammunition a “wrong signal to Hamas and our enemies in the region.” According to Herzog, it is very unfortunate that the US is driving its ally “into a corner”.

The US is Israel’s most important ally. The country has been donating weapons and ammunition to Israel for decades, amounting to around three billion dollars annually. The American think tank Council on Foreign Relations calculated that the US has made “more than a hundred arms shipments” since Israel’s invasion of Gaza on October 7.

Germany is also considering stopping arms deliveries to Israel. German Defense Minister Pistorius said yesterday in the TV program Heute Journal that this is being discussed “behind closed doors”. He said he understands the US’s choice to stop arms shipments. He added that the final decision rests with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chancellery.

In the conversation with Dr. Phil also took Netanyahu to task for the university protests in many cities in the West. “There are a lot of ignorant people out there who have no historical knowledge. They have no idea what Hamas is. When they say ‘from the river to the sea’ they mean wiping out the state of Israel.”

Phil McGraw, as Dr. Phil’s real name, traveled to Jerusalem for the interview. He said he was proud and honored to be able to talk to the Israeli prime minister. In the uncritical interview of almost an hour, Dr. Phil that Israel’s struggle is also an American struggle. About the college protests, the talk show host says, “I want to say to everyone that what’s happening on campuses does not reflect the majority of the American people.”