During a fiery session in the Knesset on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu participated in a charged debate called by opposition lawmakers. The session was titled: “The government’s complete failure in achieving the war’s goals: returning all the hostages and dismantling Hamas, and the severe harm to the equal burden (military conscription).”
Netanyahu began his speech by sharply criticizing the opposition for the debate’s framing. “I look at the headline that the opposition gave this debate: ‘The government’s complete failure in achieving the war’s goals,’ that’s what you wrote. And now I want to ask you – are you talking about our soldiers? Have you fallen on your head? Do you live on Earth or some other planet?” he exclaimed. Challenging the claim of “zero achievements,” he said, “So I wish to tell you what most Israelis know – in Israel’s wars, there have never been so many achievements on so many fronts.” His remarks prompted visible amusement from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who laughed and asked aloud, “What’s he talking about?”
In his remarks, Netanyahu highlighted the successes of the ongoing conflict and publicly confirmed for the first time that Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Gaza and brother of Yahya Sinwar, had been killed. “Slander and defamation don’t affect me. You call these great achievements a failure? This is the truth, and it must be recognized – we changed the face of the Middle East. All this is the total opposite of failure. I know that it’s hard for you to admit the truth. I search among you for a fair person who will admit the truth, and I still haven’t found one. I think that there are those among you who want us to lose the war, and that’s because you lust for power. You haven’t gotten used to the right being in power, so I suggest that you begin to get used to it because it will continue. In the meantime, you continue to spread new lies,” he said emphatically.
Touching on the issue of the captives still held by Hamas, Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to their return. “To me, every hostage is the entire world. I am set on the goal of bringing back all the hostages, the living and deceased, as one. We stick to the holy mission of bringing them home. If they would listen to you, the opposition, many of the hostages would still be in Hamas’s dungeons.”
Responding to criticism over military draft inequities, particularly regarding chareidi enlistment, Netanyahu defended his administration’s intentions. “We want to advance a balanced, real conscription law. The previous government didn’t draft anyone, we will draft thousands,” he declared.
{Matzav.com}
