Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened this morning’s (Sunday) cabinet meeting with extensive remarks on current events in Israel and around the world, presenting a firm stance on internal violence and violations of the ceasefire in the north.
At the beginning of his remarks, Netanyahu referred to the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump: “Like you, my wife and I were shocked to hear about the repeated attempt to murder President Trump and his wife. We were relieved that both of them, together with senior members of the American administration, emerged unharmed. There is no place for violence - not against political leaders and not against anyone. And that includes not only the United States - first and foremost it includes the State of Israel, within our own society."
He then strongly condemned the murder in Petah Tikva: “I was horrified by the despicable murder in the pizzeria in Petah Tikva. They took a beloved child, Benjamin Zelka of blessed memory, and cut his life short. After that came wild incitement. We cannot accept this. We must stop it and uproot it while it is still small."
Netanyahu announced that immediately after the meeting he would meet with the education minister and the national security minister to examine enforcement and educational measures in schools and homes: “We must instill that this is a criminal act and condemn it in the strongest possible terms."
Netanyahu rejected criticism that Israel was not acting in Lebanon and clarified that the IDF is operating forcefully: “It must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are effectively dismantling the ceasefire. What obligates us is Israel’s security, the security of our soldiers, and the security of our communities. We are acting vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States and also with Lebanon."
According to Netanyahu, Israel has complete freedom of action: “That means freedom not only to respond to attacks - that is obvious - but also to thwart immediate threats and emerging threats as well."
He revealed that over the past two weeks, the IDF Northern Command had eliminated 46 militants, adding: “We will act with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. We are not prepared to accept this lawlessness. We will do what is necessary to restore security to the north."
National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir commented, "The Bennett-Lapid brothers’ alliance is once again selling the country to the Islamic Movement. Bennett was extreme left and will remain extreme left."
Yisrael Beiteinu party leader MK Avigdor Lieberman said, "I welcome the merger and wish them success. We must remember that the goal is to replace the October 7 government."
Likud MKs added, "The driver is Mansour. It doesn’t matter how the left divides its votes. In any case, Bennett and Lapid will once again go with the Muslim Brotherhood alliance that supports terrorism." The Likud statement was accompanied by an AI-generated image showing Mansour Abbas driving a car, while Lapid and Bennett are depicted as children strapped into the back seat.