Netanyahu Vows ‘Whatever Is Necessary’ in Gaza Attacks

Insists Hamas to Blame for All Civilian Deaths

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted his intentions to continue escalating the Gaza War today, insisting his country will do “what action is necessary” in the conflict.

He also sought to deflect growing criticism about the massive civilian death toll from Israeli attacks on residential areas in Gaza cities, insisting Hamas was to blame for all civilian deaths, and that “incidental” deaths like these were inevitable during the Israeli strikes.

Netanyahu is facing growing pressure from the United States to agree to a ceasefire, and complaining about Israeli condemnations of Secretary of State John Kerry for trying to broker such a ceasefire.

Yet with the Israeli cabinet overwhelmingly even more hawkish than Netanyahu, and recent polls showing strong support for continuing the war among Israeli voters, there is a lot of pressure against coming to a reasonable settlement, and the Israeli premier seems to be choosing the path of escalation as a primarily political move, without serious consideration given in public as to the endgame.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.