PM slams ministers who criticize handling of war, compares Hamas to ISIS

Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday night indicated he was not sure whether an Israeli air strike had killed Hamas terror chief Muhammad Deif, but stressed that terror chiefs were a legitimate and prime target for Israel.

At a press conference together with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Netanyahu also went to considerable lengths to describe Hamas as part of a network of Islamist terror groups including Islamic State, Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda, in a clear effort to muster greater international support for Israel’s ongoing battle against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

“You saw the beheading of an American journalist… the savagery of these people,” he said of Islamic State and the case of James Foley. “We face the same savagery.”

He also leveled heavy criticism at cabinet colleagues who have publicly criticized the government’s handling of Operation Protective Edge, telling them to give public support to the government, and leave aside their “empty slogans” and “unrealistic” positions.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett have both repeatedly urged that Hamas be smashed in a dramatic military offensive, while Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Finance Minister Yair Lapid have pushed for a greater emphasis on a role for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the international community in resolving conflict. Netanyahu named none of them, but appeared to be referring to them all.

He urged ministers to do what he said he did in the past, as opposition leader or cabinet minister: “Give support and speak less.”

Ya’alon also weighed in on the issue, slamming ministers’ unacceptable public criticism “while we are burying our dead.”

The PM said ministers have had every opportunity to speak at 27 cabinet meetings since the start of the operation, but should not broadcast criticism in public.

— Read our full story on Netanyahu’s press conference here.