I'm not going anywhere! Netanyau says 'no' to retiring in exchange for pardon, jokes reporters 'very concerned for my future'

Capital FM Kenya

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the idea of stepping down from politics in exchange for a pardon, insisting he has no intention of leaving office during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem on Sunday.  Asked directly whether he would retire from political life in return for the closure of his corruption cases, Netanyahu replied simply: "No."  He later joked about the question, telling Merz, "They’re very concerned with my future."  Netanyahu also announced that Israel had nearly completed the first phase of the US-brokered Gaza peace plan.  "We're almost there. We have one more hostage, deceased Rani Gvili, a hero of Israel, to return here. And then we very shortly expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult, or equally difficult," he said.  Pressed on the slow progress of hostage releases and the timeline for the second phase, Netanyahu said Israel was 'close' to moving forward but admitted unresolved issues remain, including the role of international peace-keeping forces and coordination with the United States.  The Israeli PM pushed back on suggestions of differences with Washington, telling journalists: "I haven’t seen yet a clear delineation of what you say is the American position […] That’s exactly what I’m going to talk to President Trump about."  Netanyahu also reaffirmed Israel’s red lines, ruling out a Palestinian state in the near future.  "We’re not going to create a state that will be committed to our destruction at our doorstep," he said, adding that "the sovereign power of security from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea will always remain in Israel’s hands."  It comes after Trump formally requested that Israeli President Isaac Herzog grant a full pardon to Netanyahu, who is currently standing trial on corruption charges.  In a request made in a letter delivered to Herzog’s office, Trump argued that the case against the Israeli PM, who is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, was entirely political.  "I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive wartime prime Minister," Trump wrote. "Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him and ending that lawfare once and for all."  Herzog's office confirmed receipt of the letter, but reiterated that the process for a presidential pardon in Israel requires the individual seeking the pardon to submit a formal request in accordance with established legal procedures. Netanyahu has since submitted his own pardon request.  Mandatory credit: GPO  Follow us on: WhatsApp cutt.ly/WhatsAppCFM https://twitter.com/capitalfmkenya/ https://www.facebook.com/capitalfmkenya https://www.instagram.com/capitalfmkenya  Subscribe to Capital FM News for More: https://goo.gl/um4AGk  98.4 Capital FM 93.0 Western Kenya 98.5 Nakuru and Nyeri 104.5 Malindi 102.7 Garissa 103.9 Meru 106.5 Kitui 104.9 Voi  #Capital

Transcript

00:00And we discussed, of course, how to bring an end to the Hamas rule in Gaza,

00:07because that's an essential part of ensuring a different future for Gaza

00:10and a different future for us facing Gaza.

00:14We finished the first part, as you know, phase one.

00:17We're almost there.

00:19We have one more hostage, deceased, Rani Gvili, a hero of Israel, to return here.

00:25And then we very shortly expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult, or equally difficult.

00:33I wouldn't say more difficult, because nobody believed that with our combined action,

00:38Israel's military action in Gaza City and President Trump's effective diplomatic action

00:44in bringing the Arab and Muslim world to press Hamas, to give up the hostages,

00:49nobody believed that we would achieve it, but we did.

00:51And now we have a second phase, no less daunting, and that is to achieve the disarmament of Hamas

00:58and the demilitarization of Gaza.

01:00And as I mentioned to the Chancellor, there's a third phase, and that is to de-radicalize Gaza,

01:06something that also people believed was impossible, but it was done in Germany, it was done in Japan,

01:13it's done in the Gulf states, it can be done in Gaza too, but of course Hamas has to be dismantled.

01:19These are challenges in front of us, but we do not shirk from them.

01:23We think we have great opportunities.

01:26We believe there's a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states,

01:31and a path also to establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbors.

01:36But we're not going to create a state that will be committed to our destruction at our doorstep.

01:43And as you know, Israel is gigantic.

01:46It's 50 kilometers wide, 70 kilometers wide at its widest point.

01:52And we are obviously going to take care of our security.

01:57The one thing that we will always insist upon is that the sovereign power of security,

02:02from the Jordan River, which is right here, to the Mediterranean Sea, which is right there,

02:08that will always remain in Israel's hands.

02:12And that means that Israel will control its destiny and continue to protect its security

02:18for our sake and for others as well.

02:21The framework to end the war in Gaza allowed Hamas 72 hours to release all the hostages,

02:26alive and dead.

02:27We are now almost 72 days past this deadline.

02:31How much longer are you going to allow Hamas?

02:33Is there a deadline to move forward to the second phase that includes disarming Hamas?

02:37And perhaps more importantly, how are you going to settle the differences with the Trump administration

02:42regarding the timeline of disarming Hamas?

02:45Because we know that Israeli officials have been talking about no more than a few months,

02:49while Americans have been talking about a much more flexible timeline that can stretch up to a year.

02:55We're close to the second phase.

02:57And I think that you asked pertinent questions about what will be the timeline,

03:06what are the forces that are coming in, will we have the international forces,

03:10if not, what are the alternatives.

03:12These are all topics that are being discussed.

03:15But I haven't seen yet a clear delineation of the – what you say is the American position,

03:22which is contrary to our position.

03:24In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to talk to President Trump about.

03:28In the meantime, as I said, while humanitarian aid is there, it's flowing, it's not a problem,

03:34there isn't a problem that is there, and that is Hamas violations, including yesterday.

03:40They try to cross into our lines.

03:42They try to attack our soldiers.

03:44Obviously, we respond and respond forcefully.

03:47So I think, simultaneous with the advance to the second stage,

03:52I think it's important to make sure that Hamas complies, not only with the ceasefire,

03:58but also with their commitment, which they undertook, to disarm and have Gaza demilitarize.

04:05That's not something that is not part of something that they committed to.

04:09They committed to it.

04:10And so I think we'll be having very important conversations in – at the end of the month

04:18on how to assure that this second stage is achieved.

04:22We're about to finish the first stage.

04:25We're almost – we're there, almost.

04:27But we have to make sure that we achieve the same results in the second stage,

04:32and that's something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.

04:35And the last thing that I would say, they're very eager – they're very concerned with my future.

04:53They want to – they want to make sure that I'll – how shall I say this?

04:58They're concerned with my future.

04:59Well, so are the voters, and they'll decide, obviously, but we have big tasks to do.

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