E-Paper
'Hamas is ISIS, will be crushed soon': Netanyahu's warning as war enters Day 6
Blinken arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv earlier today along with a team of officials for a solidarity visit amid ongoing war with Palestine.
Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday thanked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for United States' support to the country in the war against terror group Hamas saying that his visit is a tangible example of America's unequivocal support in the time where they should stand tall, proud and united against the sheer evil.
"Thank you to the American people for your incredible support for Israel in our war against the barbarians of Hamas. Mr Secretary, your visit is another tangible example of America's unequivocal support for Israel", Netanyahu said in a joint statement after the meeting with Blinken in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv.
He further said that Hamas has shown itself to be an enemy of civilisation but the forces of civilisation will win over the sheer evil. "Antony, my friend. I say to you, I say to all of us. There will be many difficult days ahead. But I have no doubt that the forces of civilisation will win. The reason that is true is because we understand what is the first prerequisite of victory - moral clarity. This is a time that we must stand tall, proud and united against evil."
Neatnyahu compared the Hamas with ISIS and vowed that the terror group will be crushed just as the Islamic State. "Hamas is ISIS and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed. Hamas should be treated exactly the way ISIS was treated. They should be spit out from the community of nations. No leader should meet them, no country should harbour them and those that do should be sanctioned."
Blinken vowed on a visit that US will "always" back Israel but said the Palestinians also have "legitimate aspirations" not represented by Hamas. "You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself. But as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. We will always be there by your side," Blinken said in the joint statement.
Blinken arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv earlier today along with a team of officials for a solidarity visit as Israel's army takes on Hamas over weekend attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Blinken also informed that at least 25 US citizens were killed in the attacks.
President Joe Biden had earlier condemned the unprecedented attacks on Israel as the "deadliest day" for Jews since the Holocaust, saying it has brought back painful memories of millennia of anti-Semitism and genocide against them. Biden added that the US continues to monitor the situation in Israel very closely.
The death toll in Israel since the Hamas attack has jumped to 1,200 and some 3,300 have been injured. Meanwhile, over 1,350 Palestinians have died in Gaza as Israel has levelled entire city blocks and destroyed thousands of buildings.
(With inputs from agencies)
