‘Save us from Netanyahu’ – Israeli protests continue
Netanyahu says ‘no substitute for victory’
Israel’s prime minister again promised to accomplish all his war aims, including defeating Hamas, bringing home Israeli captives from Gaza, and restoring stability in northern and southern Israel.
“To all those who doubt the achievement of these goals, I reiterate: There is no substitute for victory,” Netanyahu said at a weekly government meeting, according to Israeli news site Srugim.
“Our fighters did not fall in vain. We will not end the war until we achieve all our objectives.”
Netanyahu also addressed the US-proposed ceasefire deal on the table during the meeting, saying Israel remains committed to the proposal as formulated by US President Biden. He blamed Hamas for blocking the deal.
Hamas, which responded to the ceasefire proposal earlier this month requesting some amendments, says it has yet to hear back but remains “ready to deal positively with any proposal that secures a permanent ceasefire”.
According to The Associated Press, the United States has presented new language to intermediaries Egypt and Qatar in an attempt to jumpstart the stalled negotiations.
October 7 attack committee ‘should be set up immediately’: Lapid
Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has denied any discussions are taking place with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the formation of an official investigation committee into the deadly Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
“For everyone who asked, there are no contacts with Netanyahu regarding the composition of a state investigative committee,” wrote Lapid on X.
“There is a law and the law is clear: only the president of the Supreme Court determines the composition of an investigative committee. I will not participate in any games. We need an investigation committee and it should be set up immediately.”
Lapid’s comments come as Israeli Army Radio reported Netanyahu “is seeking to select members of the investigation committee into the October 7 failure, in collaboration with the opposition”.
Unlike some military and political leaders in Israel, Netanyahu has not yet accepted responsibility for failing to stop the attack. He’s repeatedly stated an official investigation committee should only be formed after the war on Gaza ends.
