From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 2, 2024
Smotrich, Ben Gvir applaud Netanyahu for firm stance on Gaza-Egypt border
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Far-right Finance and National Security Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir both issue statements of public support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he publicly declares his intention to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border during a press conference in Jerusalem.
Smotrich says that he backs Netanyahu for “standing firm against our enemies and for [delivering] clear messages to the Israeli public and the entire world,” arguing that he “said simple things with which every Israeli who wants to live securely should identify.”
“We must not agree to a reckless deal and leave the Philadelphi Corridor and just as we must not abandon the Philadelphi Corridor, we must not surrender the other principles that will ensure our victory in the war,” Ben Gvir states.
“Now is the time to increase the military pressure on Hamas, to exact a very heavy price from it for the murder of our hostages,” he continues, calling for the terrorist organization’s “complete defeat.”
Both Smotrich and Ben Gvir have previously threatened to topple the government if Netanyahu agrees to a deal that ends the war.
