In his first appearance before the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee since taking office, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke of the multiple existential threats faced by Israel, unique from any other country, adding the responsibility for the situation rests on his shoulders and that of his government.

The prime minister was clear in his defiance of White House demands to halt all settlement construction, stating construction in communities to accommodate natural growth will continue. He did stress in an equally strong tone the government’s commitment to remove unauthorized outposts, stating the final status of settlements is subject to negotiations and a final status agreement.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)