During a series of US media appearances overnight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's
By Sammy,
During a series of US media appearances overnight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's recognition of Somaliland, dismissed claims of a rift with Washington over West Bank unrest, and warned that Hamas and Iran remain central obstacles to regional stability.
In an interview with Newsmax, Netanyahu justified the move to formally recognize Somaliland despite sharp criticism abroad, arguing that the breakaway territory represents a rare moderate and democratic partner in the Muslim world. "Why not support a democratic moderate country that wants to join the Abraham Accords? I think everybody should do that," he said, noting that "Somaliland has six million citizens - moderate Muslims, they want to join the Abraham Accords, and I think that's very good." He pointed to the territory's electoral record, adding, "They are democrats, they've had elections," while contrasting it with neighboring Somalia, which he described as "the rest of Somalia, which is hodgepodge, has had Al-Shabaab terrorists there, never had elections for, I don't know, for decades, has had a lot of terrorists coming there."
Channel 12 reported following Netanyahu's announcement that Israeli interest in Somaliland intensified during the war with Hamas, as Israel searched for countries that might be willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza. The report also said officials view Somaliland's proximity to Yemen as strategically important, as it could facilitate surveillance and potential action against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Speaking separately with Fox News, Netanyahu addressed criticism over rising settler violence in the West Bank, insisting that the phenomenon is limited in scope and that authorities are acting to curb it. "When they're talking about it, they're talking about a handful of kids," he said, adding, "We actually located it. It's about 70 kids. They're not from the West Bank. They're actually... teenagers who come from broken homes, and they do things like chopping olive trees, and sometimes they try to burn a home. I can't accept that. That's vigilanteism. I'm taking that out." Asked whether this issue has caused friction with President Donald Trump, Netanyahu downplayed any rift, saying, "I think we both want to see a future in which that territory is not used for terrorist attacks," while stressing, "I think ultimately, Israel has to have military control over this area."
Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu said that Hamas's refusal to disarm is the primary barrier to advancing Washington's peace framework. "One word: disarmament," he replied when asked what is holding up the transition to phase two, stating that Hamas "committed to disarm" but now "refuses to do it." He claimed the group still fields significant armed forces, saying Hamas has "got still about 20,000 people with basically Kalashnikov rifles," and added, "And they have altogether 60,000 AK rifles. That's what disarmament means - got to take all these rifles, take them away from them, and break up those terror tunnels that they have, still hundreds of kilometers of terror tunnels. Hamas refuses to do it." While acknowledging proposals to deploy an international stabilization force in Gaza, Netanyahu said, "I think we have to give it a chance," adding, "So far, it hasn't come to fruition, but we'll give it a chance. Because if it can be done... the easy way, fine. And if not, it will be done another way."
In the same Fox News interview, Netanyahu warned that Tehran is trying to rebuild capabilities damaged in the June war. "We set them back considerably in both areas, but yeah, they'll try," he said, arguing that Iran must abandon enrichment and submit to international oversight: "they should accept the fact they shouldn't have nuclear enrichment capability, they should take out all the material that they've already enriched - take it out of Iran, and have inspections." While saying Jerusalem does not seek a new confrontation, he cautioned, "We don't seek escalation, I hope they don't, but if they do, all bets are off."
Topics: Iran, Gaza, Yemen & Red Sea
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.