Hi Antonio. I've corresponded with the two journalists who are the earliest on record reporting on the 2019 Likud meeting where Netanyahu said that. One, Lahav Harkov, was unfamiliar with the direct quote, but didn't deny its possibility and confirmed Netanyahu said something along those lines. The other, Alex Selsky, is a former Netanyahu aid and confirmed for me that what I read on stage is an accurate direct quote.
I am sure Netanyahu didn't want Oct 7th to happen. I'm aware of the controversy in Likud over the policy reflected in that quote. Nonetheless, the quote (along with substantial additional corroborating evidence) proves it was Netanyahu's and others' intent to embolden Hamas in order to prevent the development of a Palestinian state; this policy was bad and Oct 7 is evidence of it.
I'm glad you're trying to do real reporting on this Likud meeting quote - it's rather remarkable that Eli wasn't familiar with it. Have you done a similar dig into the stories about Israel pushing Qatar to continue funding Hamas for essentially the same reason? I suppose you could argue that funding Gaza is different than funding Hamas, but that's rather contradictory to the idea that Hamas controls everything in Gaza.
Hi Antonio. I've corresponded with the two journalists who are the earliest on record reporting on the 2019 Likud meeting where Netanyahu said that. One, Lahav Harkov, was unfamiliar with the direct quote, but didn't deny its possibility and confirmed Netanyahu said something along those lines. The other, Alex Selsky, is a former Netanyahu aid and confirmed for me that what I read on stage is an accurate direct quote.
I am sure Netanyahu didn't want Oct 7th to happen. I'm aware of the controversy in Likud over the policy reflected in that quote. Nonetheless, the quote (along with substantial additional corroborating evidence) proves it was Netanyahu's and others' intent to embolden Hamas in order to prevent the development of a Palestinian state; this policy was bad and Oct 7 is evidence of it.
I'm glad you're trying to do real reporting on this Likud meeting quote - it's rather remarkable that Eli wasn't familiar with it. Have you done a similar dig into the stories about Israel pushing Qatar to continue funding Hamas for essentially the same reason? I suppose you could argue that funding Gaza is different than funding Hamas, but that's rather contradictory to the idea that Hamas controls everything in Gaza.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/world/middleeast/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/documents-show-israel-sought-valued-qatari-aid-for-gaza-in-years-leading-to-oct-7/
Thank you! I agree, I would have never expected someone at his level of involvement with this subject wouldn't know about that quote.