Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his visit to Washington, D.C. was cancelled “first and foremost” to send a message to Hamas, the terrorist group that attacked his country on October 7, Netanyahu.
Netanyahu cancelled the visit after the U.S. refused to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that did not require Hamas to release its hostages.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with US Senator Rick Scott and thanked him for visiting Jerusalem and for his unwavering support for the State of Israel, especially at this time,” a Wednesday post on Netanyahu’s X.com social media page reports.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with US Senator Rick Scott and thanked him for visiting Jerusalem and for his unwavering support for the State of Israel, especially at this time. pic.twitter.com/6fWOooHMjq
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 27, 2024
A video in the post shows Prime Minister Netanyahu explaining that, because the U.S. has emboldened Hamas by refusing to veto the resolution, he cancelled the U.S. the visit to D.C. in order to send a message to the terrorist organization:
"I thought the U.S. decision in the Security Council was a very, very bad move. The worst part about it, the bad thing about the U.S. decision in the United Nations Security Council, was that it encouraged Hamas to take a hard line and to believe that international pressure will prevent Israel from freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas.
"Therefore, my decision not to send the delegation to Washington in the wake of that resolution was a message to Hamas.”
“It was a message, first and foremost, to Hamas: Don't bet on this pressure; it's not going to work. And I hope they got the message," Netanyahu said.