Netanyahu Says Israel Seeking To ‘Liberate’ Gaza, Not Occupy the Territory

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a press conference outlining his vision for Gaza’s post-conflict future Sunday, says Israel wants to liberate the Palestinian territory rather than occupy it once the war ends.“Our goal is not to occupy Gaza. Our goal is to free Gaza, free it from Hamas terrorists,” Mr. Netanyahu told members of the foreign press gathered at Tel Aviv. “The war can end tomorrow if Gaza — or rather, if Hamas — lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages.”“Gaza will be demilitarized,” he said.He also said that Israeli forces now control about 75 percent of the Gaza region, save for two strongholds — Gaza City and central camps along the Gaza Strip — and laid out a five-point plan to wind down the war with Hamas, saying that Israel will have “overriding security responsibility” over the territory.“A security zone will be established on Gaza’s border with Israel to prevent future terrorist incursions,” he said. “A civilian administration will be established in Gaza that will seek to live in peace with Israel.”Summarizing his plan for those in attendance, he said he sees five principles for concluding the war. “One, Hamas disarmed; second, all hostages freed; third, Gaza demilitarized; fourth, Israel has overriding security control; and five, a non-Israeli peaceful civilian administration.”Mr. Netanyahu added that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority would be a part of the new administration.“I mean a civilian administration that doesn’t educate its children for terror, doesn’t pay terrorists, and doesn’t launch terrorist attacks against Israel,” he said.The prime minister also addressed what he called the “propaganda war” that has ramped up in recent weeks. “I think there are vast forces that are arrayed against us,” he said. “Among other things, the algorithms of the social network that are driving a lot of everything else.“We have to contend with it, and we also have to stand up and tell the truth, probably with greater frequency than we’re doing now,” he added.“You win the war, the propaganda war, by winning the war and winning the peace. That’s the simplest way to do it, and it’s about time to do that,” he said.The comments come as the prime minister, facing domestic political pressure among his constituents and the looming threats this week of a general strike by Israelis angry over the prolonged hostage crisis, prepares to meet later Sunday for a similar meeting with members of the Israeli press.Activists, including the families of Israeli hostages, have called upon the country to hold a general strike on August 17 to protest the prime minister’s policies.“Silence kills; the time has come to bring the country to a halt,” strike organizers declared on Sunday at a press conference held across from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv. “We will all pause next Sunday and say: ‘Enough, stop the war, return the hostages,’” said Reut Recht-Edri, whose son Ido was murdered by Hamas at the Nova music festival. “It is in our hands.”

Netanyahu Says Israel Seeking To ‘Liberate’ Gaza, Not Occupy the Territory

Netanyahu Says Israel Seeking To ‘Liberate’ Gaza, Not Occupy the Territory

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