Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant told visiting White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday that the war against Hamas will take “several months” and cannot be rushed.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that built itself over a decade to fight Israel, and they built infrastructure under the ground and above the ground, and it is not easy to destroy them,” Gallant said, in a statement to the press as he welcomed Sullivan to Israel. “It will require a long period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them [Hamas].”
Sullivan traveled to Israel as a gesture of solidarity, and also to compare notes with the Israeli government, which has differed publicly with the Biden administration about the future of Gaza. The White House wants a reformed Palestinian Authority to return to govern Gaza; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the Palestinian Authority, which allowed terror to flourish the last time it governed Gaza, and which indoctrinates young Palestinians to hate Israel, will never be allowed back.
The two countries also suffered a spat this week, after President Joe Biden accused Israel, without evidence, of “indiscriminate bombing,” and Israel responded by saying it is “making efforts that no army in history has made in order to protect civilians.”
Gallant’s office released a more extensive transcript of his remarks:
Today (14 December 2023) Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant met U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the [Ministry of Defense] Headquarters in Tel Aviv. During the meeting, the parties discussed operational developments in Gaza, the northern border with Lebanon, and the need to enable Israeli citizens to return to their homes in the north. They also discussed various threats in the Middle East region including Iranian aggression via its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
Minister Gallant emphasized that the State of Israel will support international efforts in countering naval threats and will defend itself against any threat.
Minister Gallant expressed his deep appreciation to the U.S. Administration for the ongoing support provided to the State of Israel in its efforts to return home the hostages, and to achieving its operational goal of dismantling the Hamas terrorist organization.
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant prior to the meeting with Advisor Sullivan:
“Mr Sullivan, thank you for coming to Israel during this period of war — we appreciate it very much. We appreciate your personal commitment to the State of Israel — to releasing the hostages, and to the diplomatic effort [you are leading] and your support in the military channel. Thank you.”
“The United States and Israel share common interests, common values and in this war, we [also] share common goals. This is important to the State of Israel and it is essential to the rest of the region, to the Middle East.”
“It is not easy to take a democracy into war, but once we are in the war, we will prevail because we are fighting for the right issues and for the right values. Thank you for standing side by side with us.”
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that built itself over a decade to fight Israel, and they built infrastructure under the ground and above the ground, and it is not easy to destroy them. It will require a long period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them [Hamas]. So thank you once again for coming to Israel, for helping us and for supporting us, and I look forward to our meeting.”
Sullivan is also meeting Netanyahu and the War Cabinet.
Update: Netanyahu released a statement after meeting with Sullivan:
I met today with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. I greatly appreciate the US support for Israel in the supply of munitions for the IDF, in blocking the attempts at the UN to stop the fighting and in the assistance in returning our hostages.
I would like to clarify: The return of our hostages is a main goal. We are not relenting in our efforts even for a moment, even at this moment.
I told our American friends: Our heroic soldiers have not fallen in vain. Out of the deep pain of their having fallen, we are more determined than ever to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated – until absolute victory.
White House national security aide John Kirby noted Thursday that Sullivan had urged Israel to be more precise in its targeting of Hamas in Gaza, though he did not cite any particular case in which Israel had been imprecise. Sullivan also visited Saudi Arabia. It was his second visit to the region, including Israel, since Hamas launched the war.
In the wake of the Hamas terror attack of October 7, Sullivan said that the U.S. would support the Israeli war effort “for as long as they need to ensure that Israel is safe and secure.” He also told reporters that Israel’s response to Hamas was not “retaliation,” but rather Israel stepping up to defend itself and ensure the safety and security of the Israeli people.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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