Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Jerusalem will continue to determine its own security policies, including by setting red lines regarding the international forces that will be deployed to stabilize Gaza as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the Strip.
“Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us—that is how we act and we will continue to act,” Netanyahu told fellow ministers at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday. “This, of course, is also acceptable to the United States, as its most senior representatives have stated in recent days,” Netanyahu stressed, adding: “Israel is an independent country.
We will defend ourselves with our own strength, and we will continue to determine our own destiny.” The premier noted that the Israel Defense Forces had dropped 150 tons of explosives on Hamas terrorists following the Oct. 19 attack that killed two Israeli soldiers, in violation of the week-old ceasefire agreement.
The IDF also continues to thwart emerging threats, including in Gaza and in Southern Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group is seeking to rebuild its presence, according to the prime minister. “We do not ask anyone’s permission for this,” Netanyahu declared. The premier in his opening remarks slammed what he called “ridiculous claims regarding the relationship between the United States and Israel.” (Read More)
