Netanyahu: “Jews must be able to defend themselves, because no one will defend them”

Jews must be able to defend themselves, because no one will defend them, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu estimated on Thursday, while more and more voices are rising against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, reports AFP , quoted by Agerpres.

“If we have to defend ourselves, we will defend ourselves. If it is possible to mobilize ‘gentiles’ (non-Jews), that is good. But if we don’t protect ourselves, no one will protect us,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli prime minister made the remarks while receiving survivors of the Nazi genocide, who will participate in the Yom HaShoah, the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Sunday.

The devastating war launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7 is drawing more and more criticism around the world.

Evoking the student movement in solidarity with the Palestinians, on American campuses, Netanyahu last week denounced “horrible” demonstrations and “anti-Semitic hordes” that “call for the destruction of Israel” and “attack Jewish students and teachers.”

Netanyahu faces international opposition

Netanyahu is also facing international opposition – including that of the US, Israel’s historic ally – to his declared intention to launch a large-scale offensive on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, which has become a refuge for a million and half Palestinians, most of them displaced by the war.

The Israeli Prime Minister considers this offensive indispensable to “annihilate” Hamas, but the UN and numerous countries warn of a carnage.

“We will do everything necessary to win and defeat our enemies, including at Rafah,” Netanyahu said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog denounced a “terrifying resurgence of anti-Semitism” in the world and especially in the US, where, according to him, “reputable universities, historic centers of culture and education” are “contaminated by hatred and anti-Semitism “.

On these American campuses, “we see with horror how the atrocities of October 7 against Israel are celebrated and justified,” Herzog continued, referring to the unprecedented attack by Hamas against Israel.

Publisher: BC

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