Jerusalem, Jan 29 (.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday reiterated that Israel will not allow the reconstruction of Gaza until armed groups in the enclave are disarmed, while insisting that his country will retain security control over both the Gaza strip and the West Bank.
Speaking at a wide-ranging evening press conference following the return of the remains of the final Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili, Netanyahu said that now, with one of its core demands fulfilled, Jerusalem will be shifting its focus to what he described as its last two objectives in the war.
“Now we are focusing on completing the two remaining missions: dismantling Hamas’s weapons and demilitarising Gaza of arms and tunnels,” he said.
The premier said that the recovery of all hostages vindicated Israel’s conduct of the war, and again warned Iran that Israel would respond forcefully against any military adventurism by the Islamic Republic, further threatening a disproportionate response.
Netanyahu also sought to use the current situation as a catalyst for steadying his own turbulent political position at home.
Staunchly opposed to holding early elections now, based on the argument that polls during a time of geo-political crisis threaten the stability of his governing coalition, he sharply criticised ongoing criminal investigations into the conduct of close aides.
As he has done repeatedly, Netanyahu avoided taking direct responsibility for the intelligence and security failures that preceded Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
During the press conference, the Israeli premier also renewed his criticism of former US President Joe Biden, launching a barrage of allegations against him, accusing him of bearing a heavy responsibility for the deaths of serving Israeli soldiers by imposing what Netanyahu described as a weapons embargo on Israel while in office.
He claimed the alleged restrictions ended only after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
The erstwhile Biden administration has repeatedly rejected accusations of an arms embargo. Biden has acknowledged delaying a shipment of 2,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs in June 2024, citing concerns over their potential use in the densely populated southern Gaza city of Rafah, but denied blocking broader military assistance to Israel. . . .