Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said his country will not settle for a cease-fire in its war against Hamas, and added that the world must confront "barbarians" to assure a future of "hope and promise."
Netanyahu spoke while giving an update on his country's war, which started after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostages.
"Just as the United States would not agree to a cease-fire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of Oct. 7," Netanyahu said.
"Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war, a war for our common future."
Netanyahu insisted Israel "will stand against the forces of barbarism until victory."
"The horrors of Hamas perpetrated on Oct. 7 remind us that we will not realize the promise of a better future unless we, the civilized world, are willing to fight the barbarians," the prime minister said. "Because the barbarians are willing to fight us. And their goal is clear. Shatter that promising future. Destroy all that we cherish. And usher in a world of fear and darkness.
"Ladies and gentlemen. This is a turning point. A turning point for leaders and nations. It is time for all of us to decide if we are willing to fight. For a future of hope and promise, or surrender to tyranny and terror."
Netanyahu said Hamas was "part of the axis of evil that Iran has formed," which, he said, also includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
"Victory over these enemies begins with moral clarity," he said. "It begins with knowing the difference between good and evil. Between right and wrong. It means making a moral distinction between the deliberate murder of the innocent and the unintentional casualties that accompany every legitimate war, even the most just war.
"It means holding Hamas responsible for the double war crime it commits every day by deliberately targeting Israeli civilians while deliberately using Palestinian civilians as human shields. It means making clear that the use of human shields is not only an immoral tactic of terror, but also an ineffective one. Because as long as Hamas is use of Palestinian human shields result in the international community blaming Israel, Hamas will continue to use it as a tool of terror and so will others."
The prime minister mentioned the Israeli hostages, saying "every civilized nation should stand with Israel and demanding that these hostages be freed immediately and freed unconditionally."
Netanyahu vowed that his country will defeat Hamas.
"Since Oct. 7, Israel has been at war," he said. "Israel did not start this war. Israel did not want this war. But Israel will win this war.
"Hamas launched this war by perpetrating the worst savagery are people have seen since the Holocaust. Hamas murdered children in front of their parents. Murdered parents in front of their children. They burned people alive. They raped women. They beheaded men. They tortured Holocaust survivors that kidnapped babies. They committed the most horrific crimes imaginable."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.