JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined three prerequisites to achieving peace in its war with Hamas: the destruction of the group, the demilitarisation of Gaza, and for Palestinian society to be “deradicalised”.
The comments, made in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal published on Dec 25, come amid rising pressure on Israel to scale back the conflict in Gaza, which began following Hamas’ Oct 7 assault on southern Israeli communities that killed 1,200 people – with Hamas militants kidnapping scores of Israelis.
“In destroying Hamas, Israel will continue to act in full compliance with international law,” Mr Netanyahu wrote, saying that eliminating Hamas “is the only proportional response to prevent the repeat of such horrific atrocities”.
More than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Much of the Palestinian enclave has been flattened by Israeli air strikes, and the United Nations has said the humanitarian situation is dire.
The United States has continued to back Israel’s right to defend itself, vetoing a UN Security Council resolution earlier in December that called for a ceasefire.
But US President Joe Biden and his top officials have increasingly pressed Israel to change its approach to the war against Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union.
Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly said the war will last for as long as it takes to destroy Hamas. He and his Cabinet have put no timeline on the intense period of fighting, or the wider war itself.
In the op-ed, the Prime Minister said his government must ensure Gaza is never again used as a base to attack Israel.
This would require “establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israel’s security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory”, he wrote.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Dec 20 that Israel’s campaign needs to shift from large-scale attacks to more precise operations to reduce the toll on Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a confidant of Mr Netanyahu and former ambassador to the US, is expected in Washington on Dec 26 for talks with White House and State Department officials about Israel’s plans for eventually scaling down the war, Axios reported, citing Israeli and American officials it did not name. BLOOMBERG
