Netanyahu has 'no interest in long-term Gaza occupation'

(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want Israel to govern Gaza permanently, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) told JNS, amid reports that Netanyahu is considering a wider military operation in the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave.

Gottheimer, who was part of a bipartisan congressional delegation to the Jewish state that met with Netanyahu on Wednesday, said that Israel is focused on defeating the terrorist group.

“We talked about it as the ultimate goal of ensuring that we crush Hamas, and we can’t have leadership and governance,” Gottheimer told JNS. “He was very clear to sa...