Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview that will air tonight on Politico, responded to criticism by US President Joe Biden, who said the Prime Minister was causing harm to Israel.

"I don't know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant by that that I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts," Netanyahu stated.

He elaborated: "Number one, these are not my private policies only. They're policies supported by the overwhelming majority of the Israelis. They support the action that we're taking to destroy the remaining terrorist battalions of Hamas. They say that once we destroy Hamas, the last thing we should do is put in Gaza, in charge of Gaza, the Palestinian Authority that educates its children towards terrorism and pays for terrorism. And they also support my position that says that we should resoundingly reject the attempt to ram a Palestinian state down our throats. That is something that they agree on."

The Prime Minister added: "And it's something that I think is also in the interest of Israel, because the majority of Israelis understand that if we don't do this, what we'll have is a repetition of the October 7th massacre, which is bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, bad for the future of peace in the Middle East. So the attempt to say that my policies are my private policies that are not supported by most Israelis is false. The vast majority are united as never before. And they understand what's good for Israel. They understand what's important for Israel. And I think they're right."

The US President, in an interview with MSNBC on Saturday, claimed the Prime Minister was "hurting Israel more than helping Israel" by not working hard enough, according to Biden, to protect civilian lives in Gaza.

"It's contrary to what Israel stands for and I think it's a big mistake," the President stated.