Smotrich: Israel should be assassinating Hamas leaders, not negotiating with them
Smotrich further asserted that Netanyahu's stated goals for Gaza were only "halfway there," with the missing half being full Israeli control of Gaza, including Israeli settlement there.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his firm stance on Gaza disarmament following a meeting of the Board of Peace in Jerusalem on Monday. However, Smotrich argued that the primary objective of eliminating Hamas was incompatible with ongoing negotiations with Hamas leaders, asserting that such individuals should not survive.
Smotrich emphasized that Netanyahu's stated goals for Gaza were incomplete, proposing that full Israeli control over Gaza, including settlements, should be the ultimate goal.
At a subsequent meeting, including Jared Kushner, Board of Peace Director-General Nikolay Mladenov, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Israeli officials discussed the next phase of the US plan for Gaza. They sought to advance US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, which encompasses the 15-point document on disarming Hamas. However, Netanyahu expressed concern about advancing the US plan due to the upcoming Knesset elections in October, as reported by CNN.
Following the report, the Prime Minister's Office released a statement indicating that Netanyahu and the Board of Peace had held "deep and constructive discussions" and agreed to establish two working groups. One group would focus on Gaza's disarmament and demilitarization efforts, while the other would concentrate on addressing sanitation, clean water, and public health concerns for the Gaza population.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
