Israeli soldiers prepare to enter the Gaza Strip in a troop concentration near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohenassured this Wednesday that the war with the Hamas terrorist group Gaza will continue “with or without international support” after the Prime Minister, Benjamin NetanyahuHe has admitted “differences” with the American president, Joe Bidenabout the future of the Palestinian enclave after the end of the offensive.
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“Israel will continue the war against Hamas with or without international support. A ceasefire in the current phase is a gift to the terrorist organization Hamas and will allow it to return and threaten the residents of Israel” said Cohen, as the ministry said in a statement.
His words came shortly after Biden warned the Israeli government about it risks losing international support for his “indiscriminate” bombings against Gaza civilians and regret that the current Israeli ruling coalition “does not want a two-state solution.”
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In addition, he recommended a change of government to try to change the trend while putting an end to growing international criticism of Israel's campaign in Gaza He acknowledged that Netanyahu would have to make a “difficult decision” on the matter. However, Netanyahu insists that he will “go to the end” and stresses that “no one will stop them” from “destroying” Hamas.
The United States is one of Israel's most important allies and has supported decisions and offensives against Palestinian territories in the past, although since October 7 Biden has also blamed Israel for the high number of civilian deaths in the Palestinian enclave.
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The United States National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, will travel to Israel this Thursday, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed. During his visit, which runs until Friday, he will meet with Netanyahu, members of the War Cabinet and President Isaac Herzog, with whom he plans to discuss the latest developments in the region.
February 28, 2023 Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen INTERNATIONAL POLITICS Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Cohen also addressed the resolution passed by the United Nations on Tuesday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing that Hamas is “a terrorist organization that murdered 1,200 people in a single day,” “He has women raped and kidnapped Holocaust survivors and set entire families on fire.”
“Hamas (…) welcomes the UN decision. This is a new form of moral degradation and a stain on the organization, which is hypocritical and prejudiced.l,” he explained in a message distributed through his social networks.
He also took the opportunity to thank his British counterpart David Cameron for the sanctions that the US and UK imposed on Hamas and Islamic Jihad to “cut off their access to finance and further isolate them.”
Measure ““targets key officials who perpetuate Hamas’s violent agenda by representing the group’s interests abroad and managing its finances.”, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
“Hamas continues to rely heavily on networks of well-placed officials and allies“by exploiting seemingly permissive jurisdictions to lead fundraising campaigns … to channel these illicit proceeds to support their military activities in Gaza,” said the Undersecretary of State for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Treasury Department. Brian Nelson.
The United States has imposed sanctions eight people linked to Hamas in Gaza and abroad, while the Great Britain another seven, including the organization's co-founder Mahmoud Zahar.
(With information from Europa Press)