Washington – Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said in an interview on the “press meeting” of NBC News on Sunday that he thought that there was no way for Israel to negotiate the end of the war with Hamas in complete safety and that Israel would take control of Gaza, comparing the decision to American actions at the end of the Second World War.
Graham said he thought that Israel had concluded “that they could not reach the goal of putting an end to war with Hamas who would be satisfactory for the security of Israel”.
“I think President Trump came to believe it, and I certainly came to believe, there is no way to negotiate the end of this war with Hamas,” said Graham.
“They will do in Gaza what we have done in Tokyo and Berlin, take the place by force and start again, presenting a better future for the Palestinians, hope that the Arabs take control of the West Bank and Gaza,” he added later.
His comments arise when Israel faces an assembly of international pressure on an increasing hunger crisis in Gaza, where at least 133 people died by famine, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. On Sunday, Israel announced a break in the fighting in certain parts of Gaza to facilitate the delivery of the aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said that Israel “was in full control” of Gaza. The cease-fire discussions have stalled in recent days, and the white house’s special envoy Steve Witkoff brought back the American negotiation team last week, who had participated in talks to Qatar.
When asked if Gaza’s takeover would mean that the hostages would not come home, Graham said: “I hope no.”
“I think there are people perhaps in the organization of Hamas who would accept a safe passage if they release the hostages,” said Graham. “If I were Israel, I would make this offer to Hamas fighters:” You can go safely. We want our hostages to come back. »»
Graham continues to recommend a special lawyer to investigate Obama’s complaints
Graham pleaded on Sunday for a special lawyer to investigate the statements of the Republicans according to which President Barack Obama tried to influence an assessment of information on Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
These statements appeared last week when the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said during a press briefing that the former president had participated in a “betrayal conspiracy” to harm Trump’s campaign.
Obama’s spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said that “the bizarre allegations were ridiculous and a weak attempted distraction.” NBC News also pointed out that former CIA officer Susan Miller, who helped lead the team who had produced a report on Russia’s actions in the 2016 elections, defended the report and said the White House “lies” on this subject.
Graham said on Sunday that “the best way to manage this is that if there is evidence of a crime committed or the suspected evidence of a crime committed, create special council to examine it.”
A special lawyer had already been appointed during the first Trump administration to examine the origins of Russia’s investigation, and in 2023, then the special lawyer, John Durham, argued that certain FBI staff members “presented a serious lack of analytical rigor to the information they received”.
A report by the Senate in 2020 supported the evaluation that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, with the president of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a republican, saying: “The committee found no reason to challenge the conclusions of the intelligence community.”
In recent days, criticisms have accused the Republicans of having tried to highlight Obama to distract the growing criticism of the White House management of the files linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
When asked if he tried to rewrite history to distract Epstein News, Graham said: “In the end, I do not ask prosecution against Obama for betrayal, but I call an investigation.”
