- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Republican lawmakers on Thursday.
- He showed no signs of slowing an offensive that killed seven foreign aid workers.
- ‘Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster,’ he told them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Washington speed up arms deliveries on the same day President Joe Biden warned him that future military aid may depend on how it addresses concerns about civilian casualties and a growing humanitarian crisis.
Netanyahu delivered a defiant message at a meeting with visiting Republican members of Congress.
He firmly rejected calls for a two-state solution, which is the long-term goal of American policy.
At a meeting in Jerusalem with visiting Republicans, organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he said he had a three-pronged message.
‘The first is that we are going to win. Absolutely. Victory is within our reach. “It is very close and there is no substitute for victory,” he said, according to a report of the meeting provided by his office.
Smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli attack in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with visiting Republican lawmakers in Jerusalem on Thursday. ‘Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster,’ he told them.
‘The second is that it can be done faster.
‘I’m going to paraphrase someone you’ve all heard of, Winston Churchill. He said, “Give us the tools and we will do the work.” Give us the tools faster and we’ll finish the job faster.’
More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched an offensive in response to the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7.
The number of victims includes 200 aid workers and about 100 journalists.
But the issue took on added importance in Washington this week when six foreign aid workers, including an American, and a Palestinian driver were killed when their convoy was hit by attacks by the Israel Defense Forces.
The dead worked for World Central Kitchen, founded by chef José Andrés, who has good contacts among Washington’s elite.
In response, Biden increased the severity of his language and put pressure on Netanyahu during a 30-minute phone call Thursday.
He called for an immediate ceasefire and concrete measures to protect civilians and allow aid to reach the besieged territory.
And the White House readout of the call suggested that future military aid could now be conditioned on those goals.
President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Thursday to demand changes in the way Israel fights its war in Gaza. A readout of the call suggested that U.S. policy could be altered.
A vehicle where World Central Kitchen workers were attacked in Gaza
Jacob Flickinger (right), a 33-year-old American-Canadian citizen, was among the seven killed in the IDF drone strike.
“He made clear that American policy toward Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these measures,” he said.
Netanyahu’s office did not offer any information of its own.
But in his other comments Thursday he sounded defiant.
“The third thing is that there is a countermovement, an attempt to force, ram down our throats a Palestinian state, which will be another terrorist haven, another launching ground for an attempt, like the Hamas state was in Gaza.” he said, repeating his well-known opposition to the two-state solution backed by Washington and much of the world.
“Israelis are overwhelmingly opposed to this.”
On Thursday night, the Israeli security cabinet agreed to reopen the Erez crossing into Gaza.
He later met with his security cabinet. He approved measures to increase humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, according to a statement.
The measures included reopening the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and temporarily using the port of Ashdod in southern Israel to receive aid.
Israeli leaders had repeatedly rejected calls to reopen more land crossings into Gaza.