Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 17, 2022
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Bennett welcomes Australia ‘standing strong in the face of terror’ against Hamas
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett leads a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on February 13, 2022. (Amit Shabi)
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett welcomes Australia’s decision earlier today to declare all of Hamas a terror organization.
“Hamas’s attempts to paint itself as ‘legitimate’ are a farce,” he says. “And they’re not fooling anyone. The world is growing to see Hamas for what it is: It’s a radical Islamic group that targets innocent civilians, Israelis — mothers, fathers, children — and is dedicated to the destruction of Israel.”
Bennett thanks “my friend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, for the action he’s taking following our discussions on this matter… I thank Australia for standing strong in the face of terror and for remaining a strong and true friend of Israel.”
