Netanyahu was robust in US TV interviews before Obama call

AP has a piece summing up Netanyahu’s US TV appearances Sunday, in which he said every Palestinian civilian’s death costs Israel in its fight for world opinion, but the Jewish state must not cede its security for the sake of public relations.

Netanyahu said Palestinians are trying to shape global opinion with images of piled-up, slain civilians.

“We’re telling the civilians to leave, Hamas is telling them to stay,” Netanyahu said in satellite interviews from Israel. “Why is it telling them to stay? Because it wants to pile up their own dead bodies.”

He added, “They not only want to kill our people, they want to sacrifice their own people.”

A Palestinian official countered that Israel’s actions are unjustified.

“The Israeli aggression on Gaza does not bring peace to Israel,” said Mohammad Shtayyeh, minister of the Palestinian Economic Council for Research and Development.

Netanyahu said his nation’s efforts to secure itself will not yield despite growing concern about deaths at the hands of Israeli forces. But that was before the Obama phone call.

“Hamas is a terror organization that is committed to our destruction,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu spoke to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” ”Fox News Sunday” and CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Shtayyeh and Netanyahu appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

— AP