“Each civilian death is a tragedy, but for Hamas, it is a strategy,” declares Benyamin Netanyahu on LCI

The Israeli Prime Minister affirmed that his army is “doing everything” to keep residents away from conflict zones, in a remote and recorded interview.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview to the French channel LCI on Thursday, May 30, in which he simply repeated Israel’s official position regarding the Israeli military operation in Gaza. . “The number of civilian losses relative to combatant losses [palestiniens est] the lowest rate we have seen in an urban war”he declared in particular, describing “anti-Semitic slander” comments accusing Israel of targeting civilians or starving them.

This interview, recorded in advance and carried out remotely, comes as the deadly bombing of a displaced persons camp in Rafah on Sunday led to a wave of international indignation. “Every civilian death is a tragedy, but for Hamas, it is a strategy. They knowingly use civilians as human shields”, estimated Benjamin Netanyahu. The latter claims that his army dropped thousands of leaflets and made telephone calls to warn people of the need to flee. “We are doing everything to keep civilians away from conflict zoneshe hammered, and Hamas keeps civilians in these areas, shooting at them.”

On May 20, the attorney general of the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu, his Minister of Defense and Hamas leaders. “I don’t want to talk about my personal situation, that’s not the problem”replied the Israeli Prime Minister, questioned about this request on Thursday, while awaiting the judges’ decision. “I have fought terrorism all my life. If I have to suffer some inconvenience in this fight against terrorism, so be it.”

Demonstrations are increasing in Western countries to denounce Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. On Thursday, up to 2,500 people gathered in front of the TF1 headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt, in the Paris suburbs, to protest against the broadcast of this document on the group’s news channel. “Where were [les manifestants] when millions [de personnes] were murdered in Syria, Iraq, Yemen?he told journalist Darius Rochebin. “They are targeting the democracy of Israel, the only Jewish state, because the Jews are defending themselves.”

On Tuesday, three countries – Spain, Ireland and Norway – officially recognized the State of Palestine, and the Slovenian Parliament is due to speak on the issue soon. “If you give them a state now, it will be the greatest possible reward for these terrorists”judged Benjamin Netanyahu. “We are not going to resettle in Gaza”also promised the Israeli Prime Minister, but he was content to draw vague contours for the future of the territory. “The question [désormais]this is the nature of the government that will be established in Gaza, and that it does not present a threat to Israel.

“We are not colonizers”he declared, even though the United Nations General Assembly has adopted around ten resolutions since 1967 to condemn the construction of Israeli colonies in the Palestinian territories. “We will have to live together”concluded the Israeli Prime Minister on Thursday. “The bottom line is that the Palestinians, a hundred years after the establishment of the State of Israel [proclamé en 1948]must overcome the main obstacle to peace: their refusal to recognize the Jewish State, whatever the borders.”