PM Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that "some in Israel are cooperating with the Americans to prevent entry into Rafah."
MK Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beytenu), a committee member who was present at the meeting, hit back at the prime minister, saying, "You said that you are leading the war in cooperation with the US, and now you are accusing the Opposition of trying through the Americans to prevent you from entering Rafah?"
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Netanyahu answered, "The Americans accuse me of being held captive by the extremists. Whoever topples me topples Israel."
MK Nissim Vaturi from the Likud asked Netanyahu why he was not firing Minister Benny Gantz, who has been at odds with the prime minister despite joining the emergency government following the Oct. 7 massacre. "Why don't you fire Gantz?," Vaturi asked, just hours after Israel Hayom reported that the tension between Netanyahu and Gantz had risen to new heights, to the point that Netanyahu had been sidelining Gantz in the ongoing ceasefire talks with Hamas.
Video: 160 packages of food and medical equipment were airdropped into southern Gaza / Credit: X/@idf
Sova slammed Vaturi for that question, telling him, "You're confused, this is not a Likud caucus meeting. This is a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee."
Vaturi asked how was it possible that the IDF chief was announcing new appointments despite the Oct. 7 lapses, saying, "This needs to be stopped."
Netanyahu replied, "Appointments in the IDF are made by the chief of staff -- I wield no influence over that." Referring to the campaign in Gaza, he said, "We thought it would take longer in Gaza, meanwhile we are ahead of schedule."
Netanyahu refused to answer questions about the security delegation going to the White House to present plans before entering Rafah.
In addition, the prime minister no longer mentioned military control of the Gaza Strip after the war, despite his previous statements suggesting this was his vision. His new rhetoric appears to call for "demilitarization" and that Israel would control the territory via "raids".
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