A “very senior” Israeli official hit back on Tuesday at a US intelligence report published overnight that warned the viability of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “may be in jeopardy” amid criticism over the management of the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
“Those who elect the prime minister of Israel are the citizens of Israel and no one else,” said the official in a statement issued to the media, interpreting the intelligence report as an effort to unseat Netanyahu.
“Israel is not a protectorate of the US but an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who elect the government. We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel,” the official added.
In its assessment of Israel, the US wrote: “Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections. A different, more moderate government is a possibility.”
Opening its main nightly news broadcast, Channel 12 said that the statement came from “the most senior Israeli political source you can imagine,” indicating this was Netanyahu himself, and added that the US report had left the prime minister “fuming.”
Netanyahu has “decided to embark upon strong, public and dramatic confrontations with the president of the United States,” Channel 12 added.
In the same intelligence report, the US observed that Israel will likely be challenged by Hamas for years to come, despite its insistence in the wake of the deadly October 7 terror assault that it will eradicate the terror group in its entirety and Netanyahu repeated vow of “total victory.”
“Israel probably will face lingering armed resistance from Hamas for years to come, and the military will struggle to neutralize Hamas’s underground infrastructure, which allows insurgents to hide, regain strength and surprise Israeli forces,” the assessment read, noting that the Israeli public “broadly supports” the terror group’s destruction.
Amid the growing tensions with the White House, Netanyahu told AIPAC delegates gathered in Washington earlier on Tuesday that he “deeply appreciate[s] the support we have received from President Biden and the administration, and I hope it will continue.”
“But let me be clear,” the premier continued, “Israel will win this war, no matter what.”
To win the war, Israel “must destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu said. “If not, Hamas will regroup, rearm and reconquer Gaza.”
“That is an intolerable threat to our future, and we will not accept it. We will destroy Hamas, free our hostages and ensure that Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel again,” he added.
Israel will “finish the job in Rafah,” he said, “while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm’s way.
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