Holding an election would set Israel back by “months” and benefit Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday evening as a large demonstration in Jerusalem was held against him, calling for him to step down, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Netanyahu argued at a press conference that elections would paralyze the country — “in the midst of the war, the moment before victory” — for up to eight months.
He emphasized that “it would paralyze negotiations for freeing our hostages and would bring an end to the war before the goals are completely achieved,” according to The Times of Israel. “And the first who would welcome this is Hamas, and that tells you everything.”
The prime minister stressed that he is making the utmost attempt to secure the release of all the remaining hostages in Gaza and is “interested in succeeding, not appear as if I am only trying.”
He emphasized that “anyone who is saying that I am not doing everything possible to bring the hostages home is wrong and misleading,” adding that those who “know the truth and still repeat this lie cause unnecessary agony for the families of the hostages.”
Netanyahu also said that the international community has “quickly forgotten … the terrible massacre” of Oct. 7 and that “the whole world is ganging up on us,” The Times of Israel reported.
He said the criticism focuses on the claim that Israel and the Israel Defense Forces are “not doing enough to minimize civilian casualties. That’s simply not so,” he insisted. “And it’s not just me saying this.”
Netanyahu then cited some world-renowned experts in urban war who say that “there is no army in the world that has done and does what the IDF has done to minimize the number of casualties and achieve achievements no other army has managed.”
