PM hoping to overcome differences with Biden, says ‘no choice’ but to destroy Hamas

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hopes he and US President Joe Biden can overcome their disagreements over the war in Gaza, after Biden withheld a shipment of bombs from Israel.

“We often have our agreements but we’ve also had our disagreements. We’ve been able to overcome them. I hope we can overcome them now, but we will do what we have to do to protect our country,” Netanyahu says in an interview on the “Dr. Phil Primetime” show, which was taped before Biden’s threat on Wednesday to withhold weapons supplies if Israel enters Rafah.

Speaking in Jerusalem with the US television personality, the premier argues Israel “has no choice” but to destroy Hamas’s remaining battalions in Rafah.

“If we do not destroy them, if we leave them alone they’ll come back. They’ll emerge from the tunnels, they’ll take over Gaza again, and they’ll do what they promised to do: They’ll do October 7 — this enormous massacre — again, again and again,” Netanyahu says.

Pressing his case for why Israel must enter Rafah, Netanyahu says Israel must destroy Hamas’s remaining battalions there

“Rational-minded people understand that we don’t have a choice,” he contends.