Blinken affirms in Tel Aviv that as long as the US exists, Israel will not have to defend itself

Jerusalem, Oct 12 (EFE).- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted this Thursday in Tel Aviv that as long as his country exists, Israel will not have to defend itself.

"The message I bring to Israel is that you may be strong enough to defend yourself, but as long as the United States exists, you will never have to. We will always be there by your side," Blinken said in a joint media appearance with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Blinken confirmed that there are 25 Americans who have died in Israel in recent days.

The head of US diplomacy indicated that the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and which launched an attack by land, sea and air against Israel last Saturday, has not committed these "atrocious acts with the interests of the Palestinian people in mind".

"There is no pretext for these horrendous acts," said Blinken, who began his intervention by claiming that he has not only come to Israel as Secretary of State, but also as a Jew.

He stressed that "Israel has the right and obligation to defend" and to ensure that this does not happen again. Blinken said he spoke with Netanyahu about the importance of how Israel will carry out that purpose.

"We, democracies, distinguish ourselves from terrorists by having different standards, even when it is difficult, and by holding ourselves accountable," he noted.

In that sense, he added, humanity and the value given to human life and dignity is what makes a democracy and what makes it strong.

"That is why it is so important to take all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians and why we mourn the loss of every innocent life. Civilians of all faiths, of all nationalities have died," he said.

Netanyahu, who spoke in Hebrew and English, stated in the same media appearance that Blinken's visit is "another tangible example of the US's unequivocal support for Israel."

He stressed that "Hamas has proven itself to be an enemy of civilization" with the massacre of young people at an open-air music festival and the slaughter of entire families, among other actions.

"President (Joe) Biden was right when he called this 'pure evil," said the prime minister, who equated Hamas with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and anticipated that the Palestinian organization will be "crushed," as happened with the " daesh".

Netanyahu added that "the first prerequisite for victory is moral clarity," a concept that, he indicated, Blinken mentioned during their meeting this Thursday.

The American stated before the media that "this is a moment of moral clarity": "Not clearly condemning terrorism not only puts the people of Israel at risk, but people around the world, look at what just happened, Individuals from 36 countries have died or are missing after these monstrous attacks," he stressed.

Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv this Thursday, where in addition to meeting Netanyahu he had a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, with whom he also discussed American support for Israel internationally and cooperation in the war against Hamas.

This new war has caused more than 1,300 deaths in Israel and 3,200 injuries; while retaliatory airstrikes by Israeli aviation have claimed at least 1,200 lives and left more than 6,000 injured in Gaza. EFE