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Destroy Hamas, deradicalize the Palestinians: Netanyahu lays out preconditions for peace in Wall Street Journal op-ed

(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his preconditions for peace with Gaza in a Monday op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, saying, “Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized.”
“These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza,” Netanyahu wrote.
The outline for a peace agreement came as Israel pushed its ground offensive farther into Gaza in its campaign to destroy the Hamas terrorist group. The counter-offensive sparked by the Oct. 7 atrocities against Israelis has caused widespread destruction and suffering in Gaza, and continues amid mounting international pressure for a ceasefire.
Netanyahu said in his op-ed that international allies including the U.S., U.K., France and Germany back Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas by dismantling its military capabilities and political rule over Gaza. Since Hamas’s leaders have vowed to repeat the Oct. 7 massacres, he argued, the group’s continued existence will lead to more war.
The Israeli leader, who visited soldiers in northern Gaza Monday after a weekend in which 17 soldiers were killed, said Gaza needed to be demilitarized to prevent future attacks, and that disarmament will require a temporary security zone on the border and inspections on Gaza’s border with Egypt to prevent weapons smuggling.
Netanyahu dismissed calls to involve the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s demilitarization, saying the P.A. “glorifies terrorism” and was unwilling and unable to disarm Hamas. He lashed out at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for not condemning the Oct. 7 attack.
Hamas seized power in Gaza in a bloody 2007 coup, leaving the P.A. in control of the West Bank. The P.A. is more moderate and secular than Hamas, and has long cooperated with Israel on security, including by cracking down on Hamas operatives in the West Bank. The P.A. has a contentious relationship with Israel, which has complained that Ramallah pays stipends to terrorists and their families. Abbas is also deeply unpopular in the West Bank, and is 88 years old, with no clear successor.
The Biden administration has called for the P.A.’s participation in rebuilding Gaza after the war. Netanyahu’s op-ed also did not mention a Palestinian state, another priority for the United States, a key backer of Israel’s war effort.
“For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza,” Netanyahu wrote.
For deradicalization, Netanyahu called for changes to Palestinian school curricula, civil society and religious sermons. He compared his deradicalization goals to the process that took place in Germany and Japan after World War II.
“Once Hamas is destroyed, Gaza is demilitarized and Palestinian society begins a deradicalization process, Gaza can be rebuilt and the prospects of a broader peace in the Middle East will become a reality,” Netanyahu wrote.
The op-ed did not mention the hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7. During the terror onslaught in southern Israel, attackers killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 240 hostages, the majority of whom remain in captivity.
Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, on Monday vowed to continue fighting Israel.
Israel pressed farther into Gaza this week, including in the area of the southern city of Khan Younis, thought to be home to some of Hamas’ top leadership, who have eluded Israeli forces.
Fighting also continued in northern Gaza, despite the Israel Defense Forces’ claim that it was mostly in control of the area.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi warned on Tuesday that the Gaza campaign will continue for months, amid mounting international pressure to end the violence. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says more than 20,000 people have been killed. The figure is not verifiable and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The IDF on Tuesday evening said three soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the military toll since the start of the campaign to 161.
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The post Destroy Hamas, deradicalize the Palestinians: Netanyahu lays out preconditions for peace in Wall Street Journal op-ed appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
i24 News – The United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.
French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.
This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.
However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.
The post Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack

A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
i24 News – The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.
Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.
The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.
He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.
The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.
His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.
The post Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.
“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.
Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.
The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.
Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.
German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.
Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.
The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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