Benjamin Netanyahu has attempted to defend Israel against claims it has failed to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza, by referencing an attack made by the RAF during World War Two that missed its intended target and killed up to 80 children in a hospital.
In a speech delivered at an international conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, the Israeli prime minister attempted to hit back at mounting criticism from Western leaders of his country’s military tactics in the war against Hamas in Gaza – at one stage insisting the aim now is to win the conflict “quickly”.
But the with UK joining France and Canada by issuing a joint statement criticising Israel, followed this week by Germany, Netanyahu sought to use his speech, delivered inside the Foreign Ministry headquarters, to openly challenge claims his country is targeting civilians, restricting humanitarian aid, and engaging in the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
With Israel facing renewed claims of failing to avoid inevitable civilian deaths in Gaza by targeting hospitals and schools which it says are being used by Hamas leaders, the Israeli PM said: “They can fire rockets at our cities, try to kill our civilians and hide behind their civilians.
“That is what is called a double war crime – when you try to target civilians you invariably hit civilians.”
He then referenced Israel’s attempts to take out Hamas in Gaza, adding: “In 1944 the Royal Air Force, the British Air Force tried to take out the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, a perfectly legitimate target.
“But the British pilots missed their target and they hit a children’s hospital nearby. I think 70 to 80 children were horribly burned to death.”
Netanyahu continued: “That’s not terrorism, that’s not a war crime. That’s the incidental casualties of civilians that accompany any war.
“But what terrorists do, and what war criminals do, is deliberately use civilians as a human shield.”
He suggested Israel’s aim now is to win the war against Hamas in Gaza “quickly” after using a speech at an international conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem to slam accusations that he was pursuing a policy of deliberate starvation by restricting humanitarian aid into the region.
In a 23-minute long speech, the Israeli leader said: “The best way we can win the information war and win the war against antisemitism is winning the war quickly.”
Speaking at a conference organised by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, he continued: “To win the war quickly, that’s what we’re trying to do, win the war quickly. Free the hostages – destroy Hamas.
“The two go hand in hand, because you don’t get the release of hostages unless you apply military pressure.”
But in a sign that international criticism of Israel’s war tactics was having a growing impact, Netanyahu spent a substantial amount of time as he spoke attempting to disprove allegations that Israel was using starvation, and restrictions on aid, as a weapon of war in Gaza.
The UK, French and Canadian governments were this week joined by Germany in issuing direct criticism of Israel’s tactics in the war, while US president Donald Trump is also known to have grown frustrated with civilian death toll, and claims that some of the population of Gaza is now facing starvation.
Without doubling down on his criticism of Keir Starmer and the French and Germany leaders over their joint statement last week, Netanyahu still managed to claim in his speech that the site of the burning of American flags, British flags, Canadian flags, French flags” at pro-Palestine demos in the West was a clear sign of the war being waged by both Hamas and Iran on “free, civilised society.”
The Israeli PM suggested the Western leaders “feared” those taking part in anti-Israel protests in their cities. “They fear them,” he said, “they want to control the rampant attacks that are directed at them for having relations with Israel.”
He said Israel was leading the fight a war “ultimately of civilisation against barbarism.”
But Netanyahu hinted that he believed Western leaders who were not aligned with Israel in this fight were now “cowering” in the face of this threat to the very future of Western civilisation.
Despite the tough rhetoric, his acceptance that the war needed to be won “quickly” and his denial that Israel was engaging in starvation tactics also showed that the Israeli PM was feeling the pressure of sustained criticism.
He suggested attempts to “demonise” Israel with claims that the IDF is deliberately killing civilians while fighting Hamas in Gaza was the latest in lengthy line of antisemitic slurs directed at Jewish people throughout history.
Netanyahu said Israel was going out of its way to warn the civilians of Gaza of impending attacks by the IDF adding: “No other army or country has done more to prevent civilian casualties.”
On claims he was trying to starve Gazans, Netanyahu said Israel had now “worked out a plan with our American friends to have controlled distribution sites” which meant it was “very hard” for Hamas to continue to steal the humanitarian aid supplies.
“The idea is basically to take away the humanitarian looting as a tool of war of Hamas, to give it to the population. Eventually to have a sterile zone in the south of Gaza.”
Netanyahu ended his speech with a direct message to Jewish communities across the globe saying: “People value and respect people who stand up for their rights. Stand up for the Jewish people, stand up for civilization.”
Opening the two day long Global Antisemitism Conference on Tuesday night, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar issued direct criticism of what he said was the “double standards” of the ICC in the way it had treated Israel over its fight against Hamas in Gaza.
The conference corresponded with Israel being handed the IHRA leadership baton for this year, and Sa’ar noted how the internationally recognised definition of antisemitism highlighted how his country often faced charges not levelled against any other democratic nation.
“We saw this when the ICC first decided to issue a response against the elected leaders of a democratic country, a prime minister and former defence minister from a democratic country with a strong commitment to the rule of law and an independent judiciary.”
