“Mr. President,
First I want to thank you for graciously hosting me once again in the White House. And second, I want to thank you for your friendship and for your leadership.
From Jerusalem to Tehran, from the Golan Heights to Gaza, you've proven time and again what I've said many times. You are the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House. And, Mr. President, you and I both know it's not even close.
While you focus at home on making America great again, your leadership abroad is changing the world for the better, ending wars and advancing peace. I believe that today we're taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East, and I think beyond the Middle East, very important Muslim countries.
I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas' military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.
We would not have achieved this turning point without the courage and sacrifice of our incredibly brave soldiers. They fight like lions to defend the people of Israel, and they serve on the front line in the war between civilization and barbarism.
Mr. President, when our two countries stand shoulder to shoulder, we achieve the impossible.
Just a few months ago, in Operation Rising Lion and Operation Midnight Hammer, we struck a decisive blow against Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program. Your bold decision to send those B2s made the region safer and the world safer.
Now, under your leadership, we're taking the next step to win the war and expand the peace. Your plan is consistent with the five principles my government set for the end of the war and the day after Hamas.
Everybody asks, "What is your plan for the day after Hamas?"
Here's our plan. Passed it in the cabinet.
All our hostages, both those who are alive and those who died, all of them will return home immediately.
Hamas will be disarmed.
Gaza will be demilitarized.
Israel will retain security responsibility, including a security perimeter for the foreseeable future.
And lastly, Gaza will have a peaceful civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority.
If Hamas agrees to your plan, Mr. President, the first step will be a modest withdrawal, followed by the release of all our hostages within 72 hours.
The next step will be the establishment of an international body charged with fully disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza. I appreciate your willingness to lead the body, Mr. President. I really appreciate it because you have a lot of things to do and this is important. And it reflects the confidence that this will give everyone, that things will be followed up on all the commitments made. The fact that you're taking this on, I think, helps a lot to make sure that everything flows in the direction that we want.
Now, if this international body succeeds, we will have permanently ended the war. Israel will conduct further withdrawals linked to the extent of disarmament and demilitarization, but will remain in the security perimeter for the foreseeable future.
I think we should understand that we're giving everybody a chance to have this done peacefully. Something that will achieve all our war objectives without any further bloodshed.
But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.
This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done. We prefer the easy way, but it has to be done. All these goals must be achieved, because we didn't fight this horrible fight, sacrifice the finest of our young men to have Hamas stay in Gaza and threaten us again and again and again with these horrific massacres.
Mr. President, I was encouraged by your clear statement at the UN against the recognition of a Palestinian state. That would be an outcome that after October 7th would reward terrorists, undermine security, and endanger Israel's very existence.
As for the Palestinian Authority, I appreciate your firm position that the PA could have no role whatsoever in Gaza without undergoing a radical and genuine transformation. In your 2020 peace plan, which you mentioned just now, you made clear what that transformation requires. It's not lip service. It's not checking a box. It's a fundamental, genuine, and enduring transformation.
And that means ending "pay to slay," changing the poisonous textbooks that teach hatred to Jews, to Palestinian children, stopping incitement in the media, ending lawfare against Israel at the ICC, the ICJ, recognizing the Jewish state, and many, many other reforms………..
Video: GPO
