Posted on 03/22/24
| News Source: The Hill
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that his forces will fight against Hamas in Rafah whether the U.S. supports them or not.
Netanyahu emerged defiant from a Friday meeting with Blinken and his war cabinet in Israel, vowing to press on in the southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering from the war.
“I told him that I greatly appreciate the fact that for more than five months we have been standing together in the war against Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a video address. “I also said that we have no way to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah and eliminating the remnant of the battalions there.
“I told him that I hope we would do this with US support but if necessary – we will do it alone,” Netanyahu added.
During the meeting, Blinken reportedly said that Israel is losing its credibility worldwide amid the war in Gaza and that “you might not realize it until it’s too late,” according to Axios.
“You need a coherent plan, or either you’re going to be stuck in Gaza,” Blinken said, according to Axios.
Netanyahu reportedly replied that Israel will “have our hands full for decades.”