Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a foreign press conference on Monday, stated that a ceasefire in the war would be the equivalent of surrendering to Hamas.
“Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities after the horrific attacks of October 7,” he told reporters. “Calls for a ceasefire are a call for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terror, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen.”
Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman highlighted on Sunday that “If you are advocating for a cease-fire, you are on the side of those who want to exterminate the Jews.”
Friedman, alongside 50 Jewish and Christian leaders, exhorted the Biden administration in a joint statement earlier this month not to pressure Israel into a ceasefire.
“Israel must do all that is necessary to eliminate Hamas. It is not sufficient for Israel to degrade or even defeat this brutal terrorist regime, which oppresses its own people. Israel must completely destroy every Hamas terrorist so that this evil is erased from human history,” the statement underscored. “If America pressures Israel into a ceasefire, Israel’s enemies will be emboldened and Israel imperiled long into the future.”
“As we read in this week’s Torah portion, ‘And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth has become full of Hamas (violence), and behold I am about to destroy them from the earth,'” they quoted. “We trust Israel to do everything possible to minimize civilian casualties. At the same time, Israel must do everything necessary to completely uproot and destroy Hamas. Israel cannot allow Hamas to survive and commit these atrocities again.”
“If Hamas is not eliminated, Israel will be,” the statement warned. “As Israel’s greatest ally, America must demonstrate UNLIMITED and UNQUALIFIED support for Israel in its righteous battle against Hamas.”
Netanyahu, at the press conference on Monday, asserted that Israel, and every other nation, must not surrender to tyranny and terror.
“Israel did not start this war. Israel did not want this war. But Israel will win this war,” he continued. “This is a turning point — for leaders and for nations. It is time for all of us to decide if we are willing to fight for a future of hope and promise or surrender to tyranny and terror.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war,” Netanyahu urged, quoting from the book of Ecclesiastes.
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