CORRECTS REFERENCES TO JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE, OTHER CHANGES; REVISES HEADLINE AND LEDE
By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday again invoked Jewish and Christian scripture to justify the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
"The Bible says that 'there is a time for peace and a time for war.' This is a time for war," Netanyahu told a press conference, quoting Ecclesiastes, a book in both the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and Old Testament of the Christian Bible.
Since the weekend the Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas group on Oct. 7.
Over 9,800 people have been killed in the conflict, including 8,306 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.
Netanyahu said his government will not agree to a cease-fire in Gaza, saying such a deal would mean a surrender to Hamas, citing as justification the U.S. not agreeing to a cease-fire following the 1941 Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor or after the terrorist attacks of 2001.
“(Victory) begins with knowing the difference between good and evil, between right and wrong … It means making a moral distinction between the deliberate murder of the innocent and the unintentional casualties that accompany every legitimate war,” he said.
This was not the first time Netanyahu has cited scripture to justify the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.
On Saturday, he invoked the Amalekites, a warring tribe mentioned in several books of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, to justify his actions in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
He also used scriptural quotes to defend the Israeli war in Gaza.
“With shared forces, with deep faith in the justice of our cause and in the eternity of Israel, we will realize the prophecy of Isaiah 60:18 – 'Violence shall no more be heard in your land, desolation nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise',” he said.