Democrats wrestle with whether to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress
NBC News - The "intensive" phase of Israel's offensive in Gaza will soon end, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday— but he signaled that he would not agree to a cease-fire deal that would end the war, and that this new phase would allow a shift in focus to the simmering conflict on the country's northern border with Lebanon. Netanyahu's comments appeared to back further away from the United States' push for a truce deal with Hamas, setting the stage for his latest clash with the Biden administration and with the families of hostages still held in Gaza. They also fueled new international concern about an escalation with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that could ignite a broader regional conflict.
Speaking with an Israeli TV channel, Netanyahu said that the current phase of fighting in Gaza was set to wind down. "We will continue afterward to mow the lawn, we will not give up on that," he said, speaking in Hebrew. After this, "we will have the option to move part of the force to the north. We will do that," he said.The Israeli leader also said he was "ready to make a partial deal" that would secure the release of "some of the hostages," but reiterated that Israel would continue its offensive in Gaza even if there was a cease-fire "to achieve the goal of eliminating" Hamas. Read more.
NPR - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is in Washington to discuss the next phase of the Gaza war and escalating hostilities on the border with Lebanon. Even though the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for Gallant, the U.S. sees him as a close partner in Israel’s right wing government. The visit comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself at odds with his biggest ally, the United States, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi reports. Yesterday Netanyahu said in a lengthy TV interview the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down and that the military’s focus could then shift to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. He also signaled that there is no end in sight for the war in Gaza. Al-Shalchi says Netanyahu’s language seems to contradict the deal that the Biden administration is pushing, which could lead to an end to the unrelenting war and secure the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
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