(22 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kfar Haoranim, West Bank – 22 March 2025
1. Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister, sitting down
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli PM:
“Well, Israel is going to enforce the ceasefire in Lebanon, and we’re going to make sure that our civilians can go back home safely. That’s what we’ve said from the get go, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do."
3. Israeli flag
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli PM:
“Israel is going to enforce that ceasefire. The IDF is going to enforce the ceasefire, and we expect Lebanon to enforce the ceasefire.”
5. Garden
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli PM:
“Israel is doing whatever it takes to bring the hostages home. Hamas, unfortunately, understands military pressure and only military pressure. In November 2023, we got over 80 hostages out for one reason military pressure. That’s the only reason. The only reason they gave back, they went back to the to the negotiation table was military pressure. And that’s what we’re doing right now. And we’re going to get all of the hostages back home.”
7. Falk listening
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli PM:
“I’d like to make that very clear. Any supply that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian, and we will not let the supply be stolen by Hamas. And that’s exactly what was happening. So we stopped the supply going in because Hamas was stealing the supply. So again, any supply that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian. And as President Biden said on the 18th of October 2023, aid that is stolen by Hamas will end. It’ll stop. And that’s what’s happening right now.”
9. Falk leaving
STORYLINE:
The Israeli prime minister’s foreign-policy adviser told the Associated Press that Israel would continue to enforce the ceasefire in Lebanon even as tensions ratcheted up with the militant Hezbollah group.
"The IDF is going to enforce the ceasefire, and we expect Lebanon to enforce the ceasefire" Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told the Associated Press in an interview Saturday.
His comments came shortly after Israel launched a strike on Lebanon on Saturday, killing two people, including a child, in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel.
It was the heaviest exchange of fire since a ceasefire was agreed with Hezbollah last November.
In a statement Saturday, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the attack, saying that it was committed to the truce and accused Israel of blaming it for the strikes as a pretext for more attacks.
Falk also defended Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza, arguing that Hamas only responds to military force.
"In November 2023, we got over 80 hostages out for one reason: military pressure. That’s the only reason," he told the AP.
"And that’s what we’re doing right now. And we’re going to get all of the hostages back home,” he said.
Israel resumed the war in Gaza with a surprise bombardment early Tuesday that killed hundreds of Palestinians, ending the ceasefire and vowing even more devastation if Hamas doesn’t release its remaining hostages and leave the territory.
Asked about Israel’s decision to block aid deliveries to 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Falk said the aid was being stolen by Hamas and could not be considered humanitarian.
"We stopped the supply going in because Hamas was stealing the supply. So again, any supply that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian," he said.
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