Courtesy of JTA. Photo credit: Dudu Bachar/Pool/Flash 90
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv. July 13, 2024
(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
“I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened,” he told Time Magazine during an hourlong interview this week in Jerusalem.
The interview, which Time published in full, was Netanyahu’s first major one with any news organization since Oct. 7. Eric Cortellessa, Time’s national political correspondent, interviewed the prime minister shortly after his visit to the United States, where he addressed Congress and vowed to press on with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
After asking Netanyahu about the threat posed by Iran and his handling of Hamas prior to Oct. 7, Cortellessa asked Netanyahu why the only apology he had made since the attack was to military and security officials whom he had blamed for it.
Cortellessa asked Netanyahu about the many criticisms being leveled about his leadership, including that he was foolish to support Hamas in the past, that he has excessively empowered the far-right in Israel and that he might be prolonging the war to ensure that he stays in power. The prime minister batted away the concerns, saying that in each case the allegations were lies or distortions. He also said he had no plans to step aside, even as a majority of Israelis in polls say he should.
“I will stay in office as long as I believe I can help lead Israel to a future of security, enduring security and prosperity,” he said.
In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, one takeaway was that Netanyahu’s longstanding reputation as “Mr. Security” appeared to have been wiped away. In the months since, the criticism has grown. Netanyahu said he wasn’t bothered and that he would continue to do what he believed was necessary to keep Israelis safe.
“I’d rather have bad press than a good obituary,” he told Cortellessa.
