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'This Week' Transcript 2-11-24: PM Netanyahu, Sen. Coons & Gov. Kemp
This is a rush transcript of "This Week" airing Sunday, February 11.
By ABC News, February 10, 2024.
[...]
KARL: That was President Biden on Thursday night with his sharpest criticism yet of Israel's military response in Gaza.
I am joined now by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Prime Minister, let me ask you right away, what -- what's your response to President Biden saying that your response in Gaza has been "over the top?"
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, I appreciate President Biden's support for Israel since the beginning of the war. I don't know exactly what he meant by that, but put yourself in Israel's shoes.
We were attacked. unprovoked attack, murderous attack, on October 7th, the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. And let me tell you, I think we've responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population in which the terrorists embed themselves and use them as human shields.
We drop thousands of fliers. We phone Palestinians in their homes. We ask them to leave. We give them safe corridors and safe zones. So I think we're -- we're doing the right thing, and let me tell you one other thing. We're going to win this thing. Victory is within reach.
KARL: But you've had more than 28,000 people killed, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. You have had hundreds of thousands that have been forced from their homes. You have a lack of water, a lack of food. Don't you feel a moral obligation to do more, to do something to protect what is seen as -- to stop what is seen as a catastrophe?
NETANYAHU: I think that any civilian loss, any civilian casualty is a tragedy, and it's a tragedy that is forced upon us by Hamas. But let me tell you something. I'd be cautious with the Hamas statistics. And I can tell you that, according to these urban warfare experts and other commentators, we've brought down the civilian-to-terrorist casualties, the ratio, down below 1-1, which is considerably less than in any other theater of similar warfare. And we're going to do more. We're going to provide...
KARL: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You're saying it's only been one civilian that's been killed for one Hamas terrorist, in Gaza?
NETANYAHU: Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. Yes. We have killed -- we've killed and wounded over 20,000 Hamas terrorists, out of that about 12,000 -- 12,000 fighters. And we're doing everything we can to minimize civilian casualties and continue to do so. But one thing we're not going to do is we're not going to let Hamas emerge victorious.
And if we leave, it will be a tremendous victory for the Iran terror axis. It's bad for everyone.
KARL: Yeah, you've directed the Israeli Defense Forces to evacuate Rafah in advance of this ground invasion. Where are those people supposed to go? This is 1.4 million people, many of whom have fled northern Gaza. I mean, they're living in tents. Where are these people supposed to go?
NETANYAHU: Well, Rafah is a -- is a very small percentage of Gaza, and I think it's about 10 percent, or 15 percent.
KARL: I mean, the estimates from there...
NETANYAHU: ... the area north of Gaza, that has already been cleared...
KARL: Well, there's an estimate of 1.4 million people in that area right now. And as the -- as the German foreign minister said, they can't...
(CROSSTALK)
KARL: ... they can't just disappear. Where are they supposed to go?
NETANYAHU: No, well, the areas that we've cleared, north of Rafah, plenty of areas there, but we are working out a detailed plan to do so. And that's what we've done up to now. We're not -- we're not cavalier about this. This is part of our war effort, to get civilians out of harm's way.
It's part of Hamas's effort to keep them in harm's way. But we've so far succeeded, and we're going to succeed again. Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying, lose the war. Keep Hamas there. And Hamas has promised to do the October 7th massacre over and over and over again.
KARL: But the Biden administration says it will be a disaster if you go into Rafah in this way. And it's not just the Biden administration. It's your -- it's your allies in the region. I mean, we've heard from the Egyptian foreign minister that it would be a disaster -- disastrous consequences. The UAE is warning of exasperating the catastrophe, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. I mean, aren't you -- is any of this giving you second thought about going in and doing this?
NETANYAHU: The answer is, Jon, they don't have to give me second thoughts about taking care of the civilian population, along with the provision of the necessary humanitarian aid. We’ve been doing it and I’ve been directing it systematically.
Victory is within reach. And that has to be understood, and victory will be the best thing that will happen, not only for Israel, but for the Palestinians themselves. I can't see a future for the Palestinians or for peace in the Middle East if Hamas is victorious.
KARL: You've defined victory, and you said the war will not end until Hamas is completely eliminated.
How are you going to know when that is? How do you know when Hamas is completely eliminated?
NETANYAHU: When you eliminate their organized fighting formations, and as I’ve said, we've taken 18 out of their 24 terrorist battalions out of commission. You're mopping up the remaining individual terrorists, and when they release the hostages, of course, and ensure that Hamas -- that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel.
You don't have to kill every last terrorist. You don't have to kill every last ISIS terrorist, but you make sure that ISIS was finished as a military force. You have to dismantle.
Hamas is a military -- a military force that controls territory. We're well within reach, and we shouldn't stop.
KARL: Well, you can kill them as a military force, but how do you kill the idea of a resistance as long as there is occupation? At the end of this process, after this is done, after you've eliminated the military threat, doesn't there need to be a Palestinian state?
NETANYAHU: Everybody who talks about a two-state solution -- well, I ask, what do you mean by that?
Should the Palestinians have an army? Should they have -- can they sign a military pact with Iran? Can they import rockets from North Korea and other deadly weapons? Should they continue to educate their children for terrorism and annihilation?
Of course, I say, of course, not. And the substance of all we said in a future peace agreement, which everybody agrees is far off, I think the Palestinians should have the powers to govern themselves, but none of the power should threaten Israel.
And the most important power that has to remain in Israel's hands is overriding security control in the area west of the Jordan. That includes Gaza. Otherwise, history has shown terrorism comes back, and we don't want terrorism to come back.
KARL: I want to ask you about the hostages. Relatives of the hostages have written a letter to your cabinet saying, quote, "The families request to immediately meet with the members of the cabinet and hear if it is still committed to the release of the abductees or whether the power to run negotiations should be transferred to a party that sees itself as committed to saving their lives."
So, let me understand your priorities. What is the higher priority at this moment? Totally eliminating Hamas or saving the lives of those hostages and getting them freed?
NETANYAHU: They're not mutually exclusive. The reason we succeeded in getting 110 hostages out, that's half the hostages, is because we applied military pressure. Not because we stopped applying it, but because we applied it.
Look, I think the families of the hostages are in a terrible bind. I mean, it's -- it’s just -- it tears your heart out to listen to them and to think about what their relatives are going through.
I'm committed to getting them out. We'll make every effort. It requires pressure, and pressure has worked, and pressure will work again.
KARL: How many of the 132 hostages do you think are still alive?
NETANYAHU: I think enough to warrant the kind of efforts that we're doing, and we're going to try to do our best to get all of those who are alive back, and frankly, also the bodies of the dead, but I won't go into that right now.
I'm not sure that anybody can put themselves in the position of the families, but neither can the families put themselves in the position of the decision-makers.
These are two separate things. They reach our heart. They reach my heart, but I’m also responsible for the safety and the security of the people of Israel and to make sure that these terrorist outrages, and these kidnappings do not happen again.
KARL: Finally, before you go, I’m sure you saw this week the special counsel here in the United States described President Biden as an elderly man with a poor memory. You've known Joe Biden for decades, and you've dealt with him a lot over the course of this conflict.
What's your -- what’s your assessment of him?
NETANYAHU: Well, Jon, I have had more than a dozen phone conversations, extended phone conversations with President Biden. He also came on a visit to Israel during wartime which is an historic first, and I found him very clear and very focused. We managed to agree on the war aims and many things. Sometimes we have disagreements, but they weren't borne of a lack of understanding on his part or on my part.
So that's what I can tell you. So, I haven't seen that.
KARL: All right, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thank you for joining us here on "This Week."
NETANYAHU: Thank you. Thank you, Jon.
abcnews.go.com
'This Week' Transcript 2-11-24: PM Netanyahu, Sen. Coons & Gov. Kemp
This is a rush transcript of "This Week" airing Sunday, February 11.
By ABC News, February 10, 2024.
[...]
KARL: That was President Biden on Thursday night with his sharpest criticism yet of Israel's military response in Gaza.
I am joined now by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Prime Minister, let me ask you right away, what -- what's your response to President Biden saying that your response in Gaza has been "over the top?"
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, I appreciate President Biden's support for Israel since the beginning of the war. I don't know exactly what he meant by that, but put yourself in Israel's shoes.
We were attacked. unprovoked attack, murderous attack, on October 7th, the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. And let me tell you, I think we've responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population in which the terrorists embed themselves and use them as human shields.
We drop thousands of fliers. We phone Palestinians in their homes. We ask them to leave. We give them safe corridors and safe zones. So I think we're -- we're doing the right thing, and let me tell you one other thing. We're going to win this thing. Victory is within reach.
KARL: But you've had more than 28,000 people killed, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. You have had hundreds of thousands that have been forced from their homes. You have a lack of water, a lack of food. Don't you feel a moral obligation to do more, to do something to protect what is seen as -- to stop what is seen as a catastrophe?
NETANYAHU: I think that any civilian loss, any civilian casualty is a tragedy, and it's a tragedy that is forced upon us by Hamas. But let me tell you something. I'd be cautious with the Hamas statistics. And I can tell you that, according to these urban warfare experts and other commentators, we've brought down the civilian-to-terrorist casualties, the ratio, down below 1-1, which is considerably less than in any other theater of similar warfare. And we're going to do more. We're going to provide...
KARL: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You're saying it's only been one civilian that's been killed for one Hamas terrorist, in Gaza?
NETANYAHU: Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. Yes. We have killed -- we've killed and wounded over 20,000 Hamas terrorists, out of that about 12,000 -- 12,000 fighters. And we're doing everything we can to minimize civilian casualties and continue to do so. But one thing we're not going to do is we're not going to let Hamas emerge victorious.
And if we leave, it will be a tremendous victory for the Iran terror axis. It's bad for everyone.
KARL: Yeah, you've directed the Israeli Defense Forces to evacuate Rafah in advance of this ground invasion. Where are those people supposed to go? This is 1.4 million people, many of whom have fled northern Gaza. I mean, they're living in tents. Where are these people supposed to go?
NETANYAHU: Well, Rafah is a -- is a very small percentage of Gaza, and I think it's about 10 percent, or 15 percent.
KARL: I mean, the estimates from there...
NETANYAHU: ... the area north of Gaza, that has already been cleared...
KARL: Well, there's an estimate of 1.4 million people in that area right now. And as the -- as the German foreign minister said, they can't...
(CROSSTALK)
KARL: ... they can't just disappear. Where are they supposed to go?
NETANYAHU: No, well, the areas that we've cleared, north of Rafah, plenty of areas there, but we are working out a detailed plan to do so. And that's what we've done up to now. We're not -- we're not cavalier about this. This is part of our war effort, to get civilians out of harm's way.
It's part of Hamas's effort to keep them in harm's way. But we've so far succeeded, and we're going to succeed again. Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying, lose the war. Keep Hamas there. And Hamas has promised to do the October 7th massacre over and over and over again.
KARL: But the Biden administration says it will be a disaster if you go into Rafah in this way. And it's not just the Biden administration. It's your -- it's your allies in the region. I mean, we've heard from the Egyptian foreign minister that it would be a disaster -- disastrous consequences. The UAE is warning of exasperating the catastrophe, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. I mean, aren't you -- is any of this giving you second thought about going in and doing this?
NETANYAHU: The answer is, Jon, they don't have to give me second thoughts about taking care of the civilian population, along with the provision of the necessary humanitarian aid. We’ve been doing it and I’ve been directing it systematically.
Victory is within reach. And that has to be understood, and victory will be the best thing that will happen, not only for Israel, but for the Palestinians themselves. I can't see a future for the Palestinians or for peace in the Middle East if Hamas is victorious.
KARL: You've defined victory, and you said the war will not end until Hamas is completely eliminated.
How are you going to know when that is? How do you know when Hamas is completely eliminated?
NETANYAHU: When you eliminate their organized fighting formations, and as I’ve said, we've taken 18 out of their 24 terrorist battalions out of commission. You're mopping up the remaining individual terrorists, and when they release the hostages, of course, and ensure that Hamas -- that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel.
You don't have to kill every last terrorist. You don't have to kill every last ISIS terrorist, but you make sure that ISIS was finished as a military force. You have to dismantle.
Hamas is a military -- a military force that controls territory. We're well within reach, and we shouldn't stop.
KARL: Well, you can kill them as a military force, but how do you kill the idea of a resistance as long as there is occupation? At the end of this process, after this is done, after you've eliminated the military threat, doesn't there need to be a Palestinian state?
NETANYAHU: Everybody who talks about a two-state solution -- well, I ask, what do you mean by that?
Should the Palestinians have an army? Should they have -- can they sign a military pact with Iran? Can they import rockets from North Korea and other deadly weapons? Should they continue to educate their children for terrorism and annihilation?
Of course, I say, of course, not. And the substance of all we said in a future peace agreement, which everybody agrees is far off, I think the Palestinians should have the powers to govern themselves, but none of the power should threaten Israel.
And the most important power that has to remain in Israel's hands is overriding security control in the area west of the Jordan. That includes Gaza. Otherwise, history has shown terrorism comes back, and we don't want terrorism to come back.
KARL: I want to ask you about the hostages. Relatives of the hostages have written a letter to your cabinet saying, quote, "The families request to immediately meet with the members of the cabinet and hear if it is still committed to the release of the abductees or whether the power to run negotiations should be transferred to a party that sees itself as committed to saving their lives."
So, let me understand your priorities. What is the higher priority at this moment? Totally eliminating Hamas or saving the lives of those hostages and getting them freed?
NETANYAHU: They're not mutually exclusive. The reason we succeeded in getting 110 hostages out, that's half the hostages, is because we applied military pressure. Not because we stopped applying it, but because we applied it.
Look, I think the families of the hostages are in a terrible bind. I mean, it's -- it’s just -- it tears your heart out to listen to them and to think about what their relatives are going through.
I'm committed to getting them out. We'll make every effort. It requires pressure, and pressure has worked, and pressure will work again.
KARL: How many of the 132 hostages do you think are still alive?
NETANYAHU: I think enough to warrant the kind of efforts that we're doing, and we're going to try to do our best to get all of those who are alive back, and frankly, also the bodies of the dead, but I won't go into that right now.
I'm not sure that anybody can put themselves in the position of the families, but neither can the families put themselves in the position of the decision-makers.
These are two separate things. They reach our heart. They reach my heart, but I’m also responsible for the safety and the security of the people of Israel and to make sure that these terrorist outrages, and these kidnappings do not happen again.
KARL: Finally, before you go, I’m sure you saw this week the special counsel here in the United States described President Biden as an elderly man with a poor memory. You've known Joe Biden for decades, and you've dealt with him a lot over the course of this conflict.
What's your -- what’s your assessment of him?
NETANYAHU: Well, Jon, I have had more than a dozen phone conversations, extended phone conversations with President Biden. He also came on a visit to Israel during wartime which is an historic first, and I found him very clear and very focused. We managed to agree on the war aims and many things. Sometimes we have disagreements, but they weren't borne of a lack of understanding on his part or on my part.
So that's what I can tell you. So, I haven't seen that.
KARL: All right, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thank you for joining us here on "This Week."
NETANYAHU: Thank you. Thank you, Jon.
'This Week' Transcript 2-11-24: PM Netanyahu, Sen. Coons & Gov. Kemp
<p><br />Benjamin Netanyahu, Sen. Chris Coons & Gov. Brian Kemp were on "This Week" Sunday, February 11. This is a rush transcript and may be updated.</p>
abcnews.go.com
