Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was interviewed by Fox News on Monday and responded to US President Joe Biden’s comments on MSNBC over the weekend that Israel’s invasion of Rafah would be a red line.

“The president and I have agreed that we have to destroy Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “We can’t leave a quarter of the Hamas terror army in place. They’re there, in Rafah. This would be equivalent to saying that after the Allies fought back, gone through Normandy, went through Germany and you’d say, ‘Well we’ll leave a quarter of the Nazi army in place and we won’t go into Berlin, the last stronghold.'”

“It’s either Israel or Hamas. There’s no middle way. We have to have that victory. We can’t have three-quarters of a victory, we can’t have two-thirds of a victory, because Hamas will reconstitute itself with these four battalions in Rafah, reconquer the Gaza Strip, and do the October 7th massacre over and over and over again.”

“And for us in Israel, not just me, but for the people of Israel, that’s a red line. We can’t let Hamas survive.”

Regarding Biden’s pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire, Netanyahu said: “We have our agreements on the basic goals but we also have disagreements on how to achieve them. Ultimately, it’s Israel that has to decide. Our neck is on the line. Our people were murdered. Our women were raped and beheaded.”

“I’m telling you that we’re not getting off the gas. I’m telling you that we have to take care of Israel’s security and our future. And that requires eliminating the terrorist army. That’s a prerequisite for victory. That victory is important not only for us, it’s important for the civilized world as we’re fighting these barbarians. I’ve seen polls that say 82% of Americans support Israel in its battle against Hamas – that’s been constant in the past five months. So they recognize that our victory is your victory and our battle is your battle.”

“Ultimately I’m the prime minister of Israel. I’m responsible for their security and the future of the Jewish state. And I’m supported in my policies, that’s important to understand. The overwhelming majority of Israelis support my policies – that we have to eradicate Hamas as a terror and governing organization, we have to get our hostages back and we have to make sure that Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to us. Over 90% of Knesset members supported my policy of opposing a Palestinian state being rammed down Israel’s throat. So when people say – we have to talk with Netanyahu because he’s holding back this prospect of a wonderous peace with a Palestinian state – you don’t have an issue with me, you have an issue with the entire people of Israel. They’re really united like never before.”

Netanyahu was then asked on how Biden “mistakenly” being heard in a “hot mic” moment criticizing Netanyahu after his State of the Union address affects ceasefire negotiations and hostage release efforts.

“To the extent that the world thinks that America and Israel are united, that helps the war effort and it helps our effort to achieve victory and obviously the release of the hostages,” Netanyahu replied. “To the extent that Hamas believes that there’s daylight between us, that doesn’t help. I appreciate the support that President Biden and the administration have given us since the beginning of the war and I can only hope that it will continue to victory. Because victory is at hand, victory is close.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)