Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed CBS News host Margaret Brennan for promoting biased propaganda from anti-Israel organizations during a recent interview. Netanyahu made the comments while responding to criticisms from President Joe Biden and leftist NGOs about the current Israeli military operation against Hamas in Gaza.
During the interview, Brennan brought up the number of Palestinian casualties and criticized Israel’s response to the recent rocket attacks from Hamas. Netanyahu responded by emphasizing the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization that has a long history of targeting Israeli civilians and using innocent Palestinians as human shields.
He pointed out that Israel takes great care to minimize civilian casualties and that this war was forced upon them by a cynical and violent enemy. Netanyahu also highlighted the fact that the U.S. faces significant challenges when trying to dismantle terrorist groups that operate within a civilian population.
Drawing a parallel to the U.S., Netanyahu asked how the American government would respond if faced with 20 attacks equivalent to 9/11, with 50,000 Americans dead and 10,000 more held hostage. He noted that most Americans he has spoken to agree that Israel is doing what is necessary to protect its citizens and defeat terrorism.
Netanyahu also stressed that Israel has gone to great lengths to protect Palestinian civilians, including warning them to leave their homes before conducting military operations. He criticized Hamas for deliberately keeping Palestinians in harm’s way and using them as human shields.
“I think that any civilian casualty is a tragedy and I don’t say that half heartedly,” Netanyahu said. “I lost a brother in war, I myself was wounded while releasing hostages from a hijacked plane. I’ve lost friends in battle. I know what it means to lose friends and what it means to lose family members. … But this war has been forced upon us by a cynical enemy that not only targets our civilians, has raped, beheaded, burnt babies alive, killed children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. This enemy not only targets civilians, but hides behind civilians, Palestinian civilians, so they’re committing a double war crime.”
In addition to protecting its citizens and targeting terrorists, Israel’s military operation also aims to weaken the influence of Iran in the region. Netanyahu emphasized that achieving total victory is necessary to secure a better future for Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East.
He concluded by pointing out that Israel’s actions are in America’s interest as well, as a strong and secure Israel acts as a key ally in the region.
“And all Americans that I talk to, nearly all, say that,” he added. “So Israel has gone to extraordinary lengths, calling up people, civilians, Palestinians in Gaza, telling them leave your home, sending pamphlets, we have done that effort. Hamas tries to keep them at gunpoint. We’ll clear them out of harm’s way, we’ll complete the job and achieve total victory, which is necessary to give a secure future for Israel, a better future for Gaza, a better future for the Middle East, and a setback for the Iran terror axis. That’s in all our interests. It’s in America’s interest too.”
The interview highlighted the ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas, as well as the important role that the U.S. plays in supporting its ally. Despite criticisms from some media outlets and organizations, it is clear that Israel is doing what it believes is necessary to protect its citizens and defend against terrorism.
