Netanyahu to US lawmakers: ‘No substitute for victory’

‘Hamas needs to be destroyed, like Nazis in World War II,’ Netanyahu tells bipartisan congressional delegation and AIPAC leaders.

By World Israel News Staff

There is no substitute to an Israeli victory over the Hamas terrorist organization, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a bipartisan delegation Wednesday, comparing Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas to the Allied war effort against Nazi Germany in World War II.

Prime Minister Netanyahu hosted a joint delegation of members of Congress and senior officials from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, following a meeting with Republican Senator Rick Scott.

The bipartisan delegation was organized by AIPAC, and was comprised of eight House Democrats and one Republican, including Brad Schneider (D-IL), Jim Costa (D-CA), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Norma Torres (D-CA) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

Along with Netanyahu, Israel was represented at the meeting by  Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi and the Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser Dr. Ophir Falk.

During the meeting, Netanyahu emphasized the importance of Israel achieving victory in Gaza, which he defined through three goals: Destroying the military capabilities of Hamas, freeing the Israelis held captive in Gaza, and ensuring that Gaza never threatens Israel again.

“We have to win,” Netanyahu said. “There is no substitute for victory.”

“How do you do that? What we’ve set out at the outset, with the support of President Biden and the administration – important support, which we appreciate deeply – was to say, the first thing: Our goal is to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas in Gaza,” drawing a parallel between the current war and the Second World War.

“Hamas has to be eliminated. Not as in idea. Nazism wasn’t destroyed as an idea in World War Two, but Nazis do not govern Germany. There are still neo-Nazis around, but you destroyed that organization.”

“The second thing was to get our hostages out. They are simultaneous goals, because the military action is what produces the pressure to release the hostages. We’ve released half. We intend to release all of them.”

“The third thing is to ensure that, indeed that Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel again.”

A day earlier, Netanyahu met with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who issued a joint video statement with Netanyahu from the Prime Minister’s Office.

On Wednesday, Graham held a press conference in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, condemning claims by foreign leaders that Israel is using starvation as a weapon against Gaza, calling the claim “bullsh**.”