Shaul Meridor: Unlike Netanyahu, Biden is a ‘real leader’ who cares for Israel’s future ‘not his own’

Shaul Meridor, the former head of the Finance Ministry’s budget department who entered the public eye in 2020 for resigning in protest of then-Finance Minister Israel Katz’s budgetary conduct, speaks against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the anti-government rally in Tel Aviv.

“A step away from a victory that will never come, we’re surrounded by enemies, the whole world’s against us,” Meridor says, referring to Netanyahu’s repeated claims throughout the war that Israel is close to achieving its objectives.

“Last night, we received a reminder of what a real leader looks like, who cares for Israel’s future and not his own. Thank you, President Biden,” he adds, referring to the US president’s speech on Friday in which he presented an Israeli proposal for a deal that would lead to the release of the hostages ceasefire in Gaza.

Gal Pichovich, an activist and resident of the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, also talks about Biden’s speech, saying, “Last night, in an exceptional speech, the US president spoke to us, the Israelis. The US president told us to wake up. The leader of the free world said our government must stop running out the clock.

“Will we let Netanyahu, [National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir], and [National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi] keep wasting time and abandon the hostages in Gaza, or are we going to let them know that it’s over and that they’re bringing them all home now?” she continues.