Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Tuesday that Israel would not “commit suicide” for countries that had “lost control over their own streets,” referring to international pressure to end the war in Gaza and create a Palestinian state.
During a special press conference at his ministry, Sa’ar said, “We are witnessing a distorted campaign of international pressure against Israel over recent days. This campaign fuels the antisemitism wave we are witnessing,” referring to numerous incidents of Jew hatred, mainly in Europe.
Last week, the foreign ministers of more than 25 countries, along with a European Union commissioner, called for an end to the war in Gaza. Their latest demand leaned on growing criticism of Israel’s new aid distribution model for the Gaza Strip, which they said fueled “instability.”
Sa’ar said the aims of the campaign against Israel are twofold: to allow Hamas to impose its will on Israel, something “that will be a tragedy for both Israelis and Palestinians,” and, second, to “force upon Israel a Palestinian terror state.”
“The French foreign minister said in New York yesterday that Europe must pressure Israel to accept a two-state solution. Establishing a Palestinian state today is establishing a Hamas state, a jihadi state. It ain’t gonna happen,” said the Israeli foreign minister.
He suggested those countries making such demands are motivated by domestic politics.
Such concerns, he emphasized, “cannot and will not lead Israel to commit suicide. We won’t allow a jihadist terror state in the heart of our ancient homeland. Israel will not be the Czechoslovakia of the 21st Century,” referring to that country’s eventual surrender to Nazi Germany due to pressure from the great powers of its day.
“We won’t give up our basic interest for the sake of internal politics in certain countries that lost control over their own streets,” he continued. noting that despite their internal chaos “still they arrogantly presume to decide what’s good for our security.”
Claims of starvation in Gaza are “false propaganda” disseminated by the media, he added. He gave as an example the image of Osama al-Rakab, a 5-year-old boy with cystic fibrosis whom Israel helped exit the Gaza Strip to seek treatment in Italy. A left-wing Italian newspaper had published the boy’s photo as if he were starving, he said.
There have been other examples, including that of an emaciated 18-month-old, Muhammad al-Matouq, whose photo was widely published. British investigative journalist David Collier revealed al-Matouq also suffers from genetic disorders, including cerebral palsy.
Sa’ar rejected accusations that Israel has been blocking aid from entering the Strip. He cited examples of Israeli efforts, including the daily truck deliveries, air drops and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
“And if we are speaking about the last two months, more than 5,000 trucks entered [the] Gaza Strip,” he said. To address recent complaints about the safety of the roads, he said that Israel opened on Sunday humanitarian corridors to put an end to the excuses.
“We are working very hard under very complicated circumstances, from the beginning of the war until this day, in order to facilitate the entrance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Israel set up its own aid distribution system because Hamas was stealing and monetizing aid, said Sa’ar. It had become its “main financial resource.” Still, Israel realized its distribution system alone wouldn’t be enough, so it allows other aid systems to continue to work in tandem to bring food to Gaza’s civilian population, he added.
The Israeli diplomat warned that pressure on Israel was counterproductive, and had caused Hamas “to harden its position” in the ceasefire negotiations.
International pressure should be directed solely at the terror group, which forced the war on Israel when it invaded on Oct. 7, 2023, he continued.
He also said that Israel’s military pressure is effective, and brought about a ceasefire twice with Hamas.
Asked if it would be necessary for Israel to fight until it had killed every last Hamas terrorist, Sa’ar compared Israel’s situation to World War II, saying it would only be necessary to fight until the other side surrendered.
