Netanyahu says Israel ‘paying the price’ on world stage for war in Gaza

Amid persistent and growing international condemnation of Israel’s war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is “aware of the price we are paying in the diplomatic and public relations theater.”

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, he says the best way to deal with the challenge is to “establish new mechanisms.”

The cabinet discusses a proposal to establish a new public diplomacy body within the Foreign Ministry, but Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar disagree over whether the appointment of the organization’s director needs the prime minister’s approval, according to Walla.

Netanyahu also says that ending the war as quickly as possible with a victory will help deal with the challenge — but that he will always prioritize victory over public relations: “If I have to choose between victory over our enemies and bad propaganda against us, I choose victory over our enemies rather than the opposite. I do not want articles saying that we were defeated by our enemies but received good obituaries in the world press. I choose victory.”