JERUSALEM POST STAFF
AUGUST 10, 2024 21:22Updated: AUGUST 10, 2024 21:28Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel will not make a “surrender agreement with Sinwar” in response to the White House’s earlier statement on the Israeli air strike on the Gaza City school compound on Saturday, which reiterated calls for a ceasefire.
“I respect the position of the United States and thank it for its support of Israel in the face of regional threats. However, I expect it to respect Israeli democracy and the position of Israeli citizens and their elected officials regarding decisions that will impact the security of the state,” Smotrich began.
“Just as the United States would reject international pressure to reach a surrender agreement with Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, so too will Israel not succumb to any external pressure that would harm Israel’s security,” he continued.
“A surrender agreement with Sinwar, which abandons most of the hostages to death, releases mass murderers, returns terrorists to the northern Gaza Strip, abandons the border, and allows Hamas to smuggle weapons and rebuild its strength to attack Israel again as Iran’s proxy, is bad for Israel and endangers its security. We will oppose it with all our might. No criticism or attack will divert me from this goal,” Smotrich concluded.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-814148.