At a ceremony marking the 249th American Independence Day at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a crowd of Israeli and American dignitaries, reaffirming the deep alliance between the United States and Israel while vowing continued military action against Hamas in the wake of recent deadly attacks.
The event was delayed from July 4th due to the security concerns from Operation Rising Lion.
Netanyahu began by saying that he had been ‘otherwise engaged’ earlier in the day, a veiled reference to the attacks against the Hamas leadership in Qatar. “I sent a video address that they’re going to show, in which I said that Israel has no greater ally than the USA, and the USA has no greater ally than Israel. I meant it, from the heart.”
“Yesterday, four of our soldiers were killed by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and six Israeli civilians were brutally murdered at a bus stop in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu stated. “This morning, Hamas proudly took credit for both of these actions.”
“At noon today, I convened the heads of Israel’s security organizations and authorized a surgical precision strike on the terrorist chiefs of Hamas,” he declared. Speaking in Hebrew, he stated, “The strike was prepared by all the security forces in the best possible manner, and executed in a manner that impressed the entire world.”
“These are the same terrorists who planned, launched and celebrated the horrific massacres of October 7th, the savage murder of more than a thousand people, the beheading of men, the rape and murder of women, the burning of babies, the taking of over 250 hostages, innocent hostages, grandmothers, grandchildren, Holocaust survivors, They perpetrated the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Now, they were meeting in the same place, exactly the same place, where they celebrated this savagery almost two years ago.”
“At the beginning of the war, I promised that Israel would reach those who perpetrated this horror. I promised that none of them would escape, and we are systematically eliminating them.” Netanyahu said. “Today, Israel and I have kept that promise. There was a time when Jews could be murdered with impunity. But since the founding of the state of Israel, those days are over. On this day, as in previous days, Israel acted wholly independently. Wholly independently. And we take full responsibility for this action.”
“We have delivered massive blows to the axis of evil, including the removal of the threat of nuclear weapons. We continue to strike them, but the war must end where it started – Gaza. “
“This action can open the door to an end of the war in Gaza. Israel has accepted the principles proposal put forward by President Trump to end the war, beginning with the immediate release of all our hostages which have been held in the dungeons of Gaza for 700 days. If President Trump’s proposal is accepted, the war can end immediately. We can begin once again to pursue the expansion of peace in our region for the benefit of all.”
Directly addressing the people of Gaza, Netanyahu called on them to reject Hamas and work toward peace. “Don’t be derailed by these murderous terrorists, by these killers. They don’t care a hoot about you. They live in sumptuous villas. You can’t imagine how sumptuous. Their partners in Gaza don’t worry about you. They go to the underground tunnels, and they keep you above ground so you serve as human shields for them. Don’t be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and for your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump’s proposal. Don’t worry. You can do it, and we can promise you a different future. But you’ve got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future.”
Closing his remarks, Netanyahu thanked the event hosts and expressed deep appreciation for their unwavering support.
“If we had five or six more Mike Huckabees,” he quipped, “Israel wouldn’t have a problem.”
