Quotes
The loss of life on this scale and the government’s disregard of the lives of the [Israeli] hostages eroded what we call in Hebrew, ‘arvut hadadit’, which refers to the sense of mutual responsibility that binds all Jews,
Shalev added
The devaluing of human life, especially Palestinian life, which wasn’t regarded as worth much before the war, has been dramatic,
Shalev saidFor 15 months, we’ve been told that we’re just on the verge of absolute victory, but we’ve achieved nothing other than destruction and killing,
Goldberg addedThis may be more transactional than many suppose,
Mairav Zonszein, an Israel expert with the International Crisis Group, said, suggestingThere’s definitely been a moral corruption within Israel,
said Dr Guy Shalev, the executive director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which has documented the denial of medical aid and torture of PalestiniansBy agreeing now, Netanyahu may have bought himself greater freedom to act in the West Bank and in determining whatever future that is agreed for Gaza,
she said, referring to far-right Israeli plans to annex the occupied Palestinian territory, which is dotted with Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international lawPrime Minister Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the negotiating team and all those who assisted,
his office wrote on social media Friday, adding
The State of Israel is committed to achieving all the goals of the war, including the return of all our hostages – both living and dead,
the Prime Minister’s Office statement said
We need to get our people out [of Gaza], we need to destroy Hamas as a military terrorist organization and we 100 percent support that, and then we can get back to crafting peace deals in the Middle East,
Waltz said
We’ve been clear that Gaza has to be demilitarized, Hamas has to be destroyed to the point that it cannot reconstitute, and Israel has every right to fully protect itself,
Waltz saidI think we’re in a very good place because the Israeli government didn’t listen sometimes to the not-so-good advice coming out of this [Biden] administration.”
Waltz told podcaster Dan SenorIf you think the region is unstable, violent, and at war now, imagine it under a nuclear umbrella controlled by Iran,
Waltz observedHamas is not going to continue as a military entity and it’s certainly not going to govern Gaza,
Waltz insistedHamas, ISIS, and al-Qaida have no place in governance,
Waltz is saying publiclyI’m convinced they all would have died if President Trump didn’t come in and say ‘get them out.’
When it comes to the hostages, Waltz is sayingHamas knew they had no choice and they believed President Trump when he said there would be all hell to pay, and any deal that was on the table would just get worse once he was in office.”
Once Trump won last November and began issuing threatsWe’ve made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of Israel to hear me on this: If they need to go back in, we’re with them,
he continuedYou’re not going to see this [Trump] administration tapping the brakes to make sure Israel can arm itself,
Waltz said, criticizing the Biden-Harris approach of slow-walking shipments of arms and ammunition to Israel to try to force Israel to surrender in Gaza and LebanonYou know what’s written [in the agreement] and you know what was written in the previous proposals, the ones that we nearly settled on with Hamas,
an Israeli official told the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, summing up the feelings of many
It’s appalling to think that we could have signed this so long ago,
said the official