Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broadly outlined his vision for the future of Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war ends, emphasized the necessity of maintaining a strong US-Israel relationship, and proposed a new Middle Eastern security alliance in a speech to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday.
Netanyahu called for a complete revamping of Gaza’s government, suggesting that a “civilian administration” of Palestinians should run the war-torn enclave. Stressing that Israel has no plans of occupying Gaza, the Israeli prime minister suggested that “regional partners” could help maintain a “demilitarized” version of the enclave. He expressed hope that Gaza, which is ruled by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, would become “deradicalized” over time.
“Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That’s not too much to ask,” Netanyahu said.
Hamas launched the ongoing war in Gaza with its Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel. During the onslaught, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists massacred 1,200 people and kidnapped over 250 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, whose leaders have vowed to carry out attacks similar to the Oct. 7 pogrom “again and again.”
“A new generation of Palestinians must no longer be taught to hate Jews, but rather to live in peace with us,” Netanyahu continued. “Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza, but for the foreseeable future we must retain overriding security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror, to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
The vast majority of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank still support Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught in southern Israel and don’t believe the terrorist group engaged in war crimes, according to recent polling.
Beyond Gaza, Netanyahu also explained his vision for the broader Middle East, stating that a regional security alliance with the support of the US could help Israel and its neighbors mitigate threats from Iran, the chief international sponsor of Hamas. Leaders of both Iran and Hamas routinely call for Israel’s destruction.
Comparing the current state of the Middle East to post-World War II Europe, Netanyahu underlined the importance of regional cooperation “to counter the growing Iranian threat.” The Israeli premier suggested his proposed defense pact be named “The Abraham Alliance” — a reference to the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab countries and were brokered with the help of then-US President Donald Trump in 2020.
“The new alliance I envision would be a natural extension of the groundbreaking Abraham Accords,” Netanyahu said. “Those accords saw peace forged between Israel and four Arab countries, and they were supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. I have a name for this new alliance. I think we should call it ‘The Abraham Alliance.'”
The Israeli leader also emphasized the importance of the US and Israel working together to defeat Iran and its “terrorist proxies.” He warned that Iran plans on targeting the United States for destruction if it succeeds in its goal of eradicating the Jewish state, underscoring the necessity of the two countries continuing their relationship.
Netanyahu continued, claiming that Iran maintains the goal of “exporting the Iranian revolution” across the entire world. The dismantling of Hamas would be a “powerful blow to Iran’s axis of terror,” Netanyahu argued.
“This is not a clash of civilizations. This is a clash between barbarism and civilization,” he declared.
“For Iran, Israel is first, America is next. So when Israel fights Hamas, we’re fighting Iran,” the Israeli premier added. “When we fight Hezbollah, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America.”
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