Prime minister tells Fox when Israel completes transforming the Middle East, it would set the stage for peace through strength; praises Trump Gaza plan, blames Egypt for preventing Palestinians from leaving the Strip
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said normalization with Saudi Arabia would come after Hamas is defeated and the Iranian axis cut. His comments came after Riyadh denied claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump that that there was no Saudi demand for an establishment of a Palestinian state before normalization with Israel could take place.
“When we complete the changeover in the Middle East, when we cut the Iranian axis down even further that we’ve already cut it, when we make sure Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons, when we destroy Hamas, that will set the stage for an additional agreement with the Saudis and with others,” Netanyahu said. “I believe also in the Muslim world because it’s peace through strength.”
Netnayahu said there was no longer any belief that there could be a Palestinian State after the Oct. 7 massacre, “They had one, it’s called Gaza,” he said. “We got the Abraham Accord because we went around the Palestinians,” he said claiming the Palestinian Authority, like Hamas seeks the destruction of Israel. Israel is small he said, praising Trump for cutting to the chase. “We can’t be any smaller, we’re not going to have an organization that is committed to our destruction, nine miles from the sea.”
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Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump speaking to reporters after their meeting last week
(Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)
Netanyahu again expressed his enthusiasm for Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza while the Strip was rebuilt. He said Israel would destroy Hamas, that was its job so no American forces would be needed or tax payer dollars used.
I think the proposal is the first fresh idea. “Gaza is basically a small area 25 miles from Tel Aviv which Hamas has used as a springboard for continuous terrorists attacks against Israel,” he said. “Then comes president Trump and says hey, let them leave, and I’ll find a place for a temporary relocation,” he said. “Not forceful eviction, not ethnic cleansing, getting people out of what these do-gooders’ say is an open-air prison.”
Netanyahu said Egypt blocked Gazan’s who wanted to leave the Strip from crossing the border. “Some would bribe the gatekeepers,” he said. “So, the very rich got out but those who wanted to leave couldn’t” he said adding they should be given the option.