Congress should take steps to help Egypt set up refugee or safe zones for Palestinian civilians or work toward a settlement in southern Gaza, and then "fund whoever will help us in this operation," Newsmax foreign policy analyst Walid Phares said Tuesday.
"I hope that the new speaker [Mike Johnson, R-La,] will take that direction because that would help," Phares said on "Wake Up America," while agreeing with comments made by Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., earlier on the program.
If a safe zone is established to protect civilians, "then maybe a cease-fire can be negotiated," Phares also said, adding that he understands Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position on refusing a cease-fire at this time.
"A cease-fire is not just a cessation of shooting," Phares said. "It is a package that has a solution in it, meaning who will replace the forces, in this case, Hamas in Gaza, so that its cease-fire is possible. Who will neutralize these cells? Who will take care of the population?"
Netanyahu said Monday that his country will not settle for a cease-fire in its war against Hamas, as that would mean it has surrendered to Hamas.
"Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism," said Netanyahu. "That will not happen. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war, a war for our common future."
"I understand the position of the prime minister that he doesn't want to stop now, as we wouldn't have stopped when we went into Afghanistan, otherwise we would have lost the war and Israel would lose the war," said Phares.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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