The following is a transcript of an interview with Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” aired on September 22, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That was our Chris Livesay from Tel Aviv, and we’ll now go to the President of Israel. Isaac Herzog, welcome to “Face The Nation.”
ISRAELI PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: Thank you, Margaret, good morning,
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, in the last few days, Israel has conducted an unprecedented operation against thousands of Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. The United States had only 20 minutes’ notice. Since then, Israel has also conducted a strike in Beirut that killed senior Hezbollah commanders. What is this strategy? Is Israel trying to start an all-out war against Hezbollah?
PRESIDENT HERZOG: Absolutely not. We did not want this war. We do not seek war. This war was waged against us by the proxies of the Iranian evil empire, on October 7th by Hamas and on October 8th by Hezbollah. And since then, from Lebanon in the north and, of course, from Hamas in the south and throughout the Middle East, the proxies of Iran have been attacking us relentlessly. Hezbollah attacks us daily, demolishing Israeli villages and towns, leading to the expulsion of 100,000 Israelis from their homes. Life has been shattered on our northern border. I don’t think any American would have accepted this as some kind of status quo in the United States. And at the end of the day, there are things that have to be done. The duty of a government or a nation is to take care of its citizens and bring them home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But in terms of what’s happening in northern Israel right now, the White House is arguing that a war in Lebanon is not the solution to bringing those 100,000 Israelis home. They want a diplomatic settlement on that blue line. Do you think the current Israeli government wants a diplomatic settlement?
President Herzog: We have never said that we do not want a diplomatic agreement. On the contrary, there is a very capable American envoy, Amos Hochstein, the adviser to the president, who is trying to go back and forth between us and the Lebanese. We support and applaud the efforts of the United States and the administration. We really do. We respect them enormously. But at the end of the day, okay, Mr. Hochstein leaves Israel, and they continue to shoot and shoot, and this cannot go on forever, because our citizens have to go home, because the guy in Lebanon, Mr. Nasrallah, thinks he wants to tie Lebanon to Gaza. And in Gaza, there is another high-ranking terrorist, Mr. Sinwar, in the dungeons, who does not want to reach an agreement, refuses to reach an agreement. This is jihadism at its best, and this is what we are fighting against. And I really want it, and I say it officially as the president of Israel, and I say it openly, because I know that we do not want war, but if it is waged against us, we will go all the way.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You say you don’t want war, Mr. President. Israel moved its 98th Division to northern Israel this week. Your defense minister says the center of gravity is moving to Lebanon. What is the purpose of these military moves, if not to prepare for war?
PRESIDENT HERZOG: Because these guys that we wiped out on Friday were gathering in their apartments in Beirut planning another October 7th. They developed this school of thought, which was to invade Israel, to try to take hostages, to massacre…
[CROSSTALK]
MARGARET BRENNAN: – Do you have any evidence?
PRES. ISAAC HERZOG: – rape, arson, kidnapping
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you have any evidence that an attack was imminent?
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: We have enough risks to consider. Excuse me?
PRES. ISAAC HERZOG: I can’t give you all the information, but it is assumed that they were preparing an attack. You see today. This morning, they launched a series of attacks on Israeli towns and villages throughout the northern part of Israel. They bombarded northern Israel with huge bombs and missiles. Why would any nation accept that? Why would any decent nation accept that? We have been in a vicious circle for almost a year. We want to get out of that vicious circle.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Last week, the AP aired graphic footage from the West Bank of Israeli soldiers pushing the bodies of Palestinians off the roofs of buildings. The White House said it wants an investigation because it is “abhorrent and egregious.” How do you respond to the concerns of one of your closest allies that Israel could be increasing the risk of escalation?
PRES. ISAAC HERZOG: So we are of course listening to our closest ally, openly and frankly. If the facts have taken place as expected, an investigation is underway, because we are a country of law. We will of course take all necessary measures. We will condemn these acts and use all necessary legal measures to combat them, but we are studying them because we are a serious army and a serious people, and we are studying and investigating them as much as possible.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Before I let you go, do you think that President Biden’s efforts to negotiate this hostage deal are just wishful thinking at this point? Will it be a problem for the next American president?
PRES. ISAAC HERZOG: I have to say that I have tremendous respect for President Biden’s efforts and we have supported him wholeheartedly. But as the National Security Council spokesman, General Kirby, said the other day, we are not getting any positive signals from Hamas. Sinwar is in the dungeons, taking what we think of as free and loving nations and peoples. He thinks otherwise. But I would say that the call to the family of nations in this current crisis, which is burning, is perhaps actually an opportunity to move forward and change the situation by finding the right exit and bringing the hostages home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, thank you for your time this morning.
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: Thank you very much.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be right back.
