Anees Suheil Barghouti
14 November 2018•Update: 14 November 2018
JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday defended a cease-fire agreement with Palestinian resistance factions in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
“At these times, the true leadership does not do the easy thing, but the right thing, even if it is hard,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“The leadership always stands up to criticism when you know things that are secret and difficult,” he said.
Scores of Israelis demonstrated outside the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) on Wednesday to demand Netanyahu’s resignation, accusing him of “betraying” the people of southern Israel.
Netanyahu said that Palestinian group Hamas “begged” for a cease-fire, saying “they know very well why”.
The Egypt-brokered cease-fire deal has already met opposition from four Israeli ministers, including Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
The agreement came after at least 14 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the blockaded Gaza Strip since Sunday after rocket fire from the seaside territory.
At least one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed and another injured in the violence.
Since March 30, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred by Israeli army gunfire -- and thousands more injured -- while taking part in ongoing rallies along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.
