David Remnick: Prosecution in Gaza Will Bring Israel Great Harm

SHARPTON: “David, when you look at the fact that a lot of people in Israel you’re saying are not seeing what’s going on, the bottom line here is this is really Netanyahu. And how do you deal with the fact that people on a global level may want to pinpoint these decisions to Benjamin Netanyahu and at the same time not be cast as being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic? It gives a real kind of complexity because what Netanyahu’s advocating is clearly something you’re saying that a lot of people in Israel is not seeing being done.”
REMNICK: “Reverend, 70 percent of the people in Israel want this war to be over and they’ve wanted it to be over for many months. That should be clear. They have wanted this to be over. And because of the complicated politics of Israel and Netanyahu’s, I don’t know whether to call it masterful, use of coalition politics has allowed his right-wing in the coalition to both keep him in power and he is behaving in obedience to it. You know, in March, Ben Gvir and Smotrich, the two ministers who are the farthest in the right in his coalition, said cut off aid, cut off aid to — humanitarian aid to Gaza. These are the same ministers who call for annexation, continued occupation, and by the way, continued war. Toward what end? It is just unbeknownst to me. It is possible to hold two thoughts in your head at the same time. What Yahya Sinwar and Hamas set out to do on October 7th was dreadful, a horror, and what they committed was a horror. But Israel’s prosecution of this war over these many, many, months will — will do no great — will — will — will bring great harm to Israel as well as to Palestinians. And — and the damage report for it, morally, in a human sense, diplomatically, politically going forward, is — is going to be dreadful.”