In recent hours, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked two of his key allies for directly pressuring him and his government in preparation for the offensive against the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office called the UK’s decision to suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel “shameful” and said it would not influence the “determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization, which brutally killed 1,200 people on October 7,” including 14 British citizens.
With this message, they kidnapped about 250 people on Israeli soil. The bodies of the six hostages were recovered by the Israeli army last weekend and, according to the official version, they were shot before the troops could reach them and free them.
“Hamas is still holding over a hundred hostages, including five British citizens. “Instead of standing with Israel, a democracy that is also defending itself against barbarity, Britain’s wrong decision will only strengthen Hamas,” Netanyahu’s office said. “With or without British weapons, Israel will win this war and secure our common future,” it concluded.
On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy explained in the House of Commons (below) that the measure was adopted after reviewing Israel’s compliance with international law during its military operations in Gaza – where nearly 41,000 people have been killed since the start of the war, most of them women and children. The arms export licenses suspended by your government (30 out of a total of 350) include, among other things, components of military equipment, helicopters and drones, according to the EFE agency.
For his part, British Defense Secretary John Healey defended his government’s decision on Tuesday. “This will have no material impact on Israel’s security,” the minister told Radio Times, assuring that the suspension of these licenses does not alter “the unwavering commitment to supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.” “Sometimes it’s your closest friends who have to tell the hardest truths,” Healey added, according to EFE.
Meanwhile, from Jordan, Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi on Tuesday applauded the UK’s decision and urged the rest of the countries that export arms to Israel to do the same. “We call for an extension of this suspension and call on all countries to impose a complete arms embargo on Israel,” Al-Safadi said on his X account.
Netanyahu is also furious about the latest message that US President Joe Biden sent him on Monday. “We are close to an agreement to release the hostages, but I don’t think Netanyahu is doing enough,” the president told reporters in Washington. The United States has been mediating for months between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, under which the hostages will be released in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners – applying the same formula of the first and only agreement reached in Gaza. end of November 2023–.
Netanyahu appeared Monday night to show his outrage at Biden’s remarks. “I was asked if I wasn’t doing enough to free the hostages,” the Israeli premier said, reviewing Israel’s position in indirect negotiations with Hamas.
“Five days ago, the deputy director of the CIA said that Israel had been serious in negotiations and that Hamas should now be serious as well. What has changed in those five days? “These murderers executed six of our hostages. They were shot in the back of the head. That’s what changed. And now, after that, they’re asking us to be serious? Are they asking us to make concessions?! What message does that send to Hamas? “He’s telling them to kill more hostages and they’ll get more concessions,” Netanyahu said.
These negotiations have been at a standstill since mid-August, when the United States last tried to restart dialogue and presented a proposal for a deal that was accepted by Israel, but Hamas accused it of adding conditions to the plan that had been on the table since early August and late May, also sponsored by the Biden administration. In addition, Israel insists on keeping troops on Gaza-Egypt bordersomething that this country does not accept.
