Posted on 02/18/24
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 18, 2024 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunday night, February 18, 2024, spoke at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Israel, addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Following are excerpts from his remarks:
"I've been seeing you here year after year, but this year it's different. Each year you come here to express your solidarity with the State of Israel, solidarity of the Diaspora with the Jewish state, but this year, that solidarity is particularly important, because it's an expression of unity between the Jewish people and the Jewish state, between so many of our friends around the world and the great trial that we are faced with today."
Regarding the effort to free the hostages, Prime Minister Netanyahu said:
"The release of hostages can be achieved through strong military action and tough negotiations, very tough negotiations. That tough position has to involve the exertion of pressure. And the exertion of pressure is not merely on Hamas itself, but on those who can exert pressure on Hamas, beginning with Qatar.
Qatar can press Hamas as no one else can. They host Hamas leaders. Hamas is dependent on them financially. I urge you to press Qatar to press Hamas because we want our hostages released.
I hope that we can achieve a deal soon, to release more of our hostages. But deal or no deal, we have to finish the job to get a total victory."
Prime Minister Netanyahu added:
"Once you destroy the battalions, there is no organized command and control structure. You're left with individual terrorists, which we mop up with ground action.
We cannot leave a quarter of Hamas's terrorist battalions intact. No one would do that in the case of fighting ISIS. You wouldn't leave a quarter of ISIS intact in a defined territory. You wouldn't even think about that."
The dinner reception with the Prime Minister and also US Ambassador Jack Lew a featured speaker was attended by invited Israeli guests.
