Netanyahu sets ‘deterrible red lines’ on control of critical Gaza border posts—the Israeli PM as he increases pressure on captives.
The time has come for PM Benjamin Netanyahu to do even more to free Israelis held by Hamas after 11 months in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu is experiencing massive domestic protests and pressure from US President Joe Biden after Israeli forces’ at the weekend retrieved the bodies of six captives, including 23-year-old American-Israeli Israeli citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
But on Monday he sounded a note that he was in no position to offer any conciliations.
He demanded that Israel maintain security control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border that Israel says Hamas uses to get weapons into the Gaza Strip, which is essential to any ceasefire terms.
Egypt and Hamas have dismissed any such terrible act, while the Palestinian group has turned down any presence of Israelis in the region.
Netanyahu referred to the corridor as critical in order to prevent Hamas that controls Gaza from restocking the tunnels.
“This is the oxygen of Hamas,” he said, adding: “There is no man who will do anything to liberate the hostages more than me… There will be no one who will lecture me on the issue.”
The main ally of Israel seems to be getting bored by his stubbornness.
While meeting the reporters at the White House on Monday, Biden stated that he did not believe Netanyahu was doing enough for the agreement and revealed the US’s intention to provide the last offer to both sides this week.
