The other day we detailed how Israel couldn't have chosen a better time to start a Hamas offensive given the lull in external pressure.

In 2001 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unaware that a camera was rolling, expressed an outline of an assault on Gaza and confirmed the notion that Israel feels confident attacking Hamas without being bothered by the U.S. (Israeli News Channel 10 aired the remarks in 2010):

"The main thing, first of all, is to hit them [with] blows that are so painful that the price will be too heavy to be borne… To bring them to a point of being afraid that everything is collapsing."

"The world won't say a thing. The world will say we're defending. Especially today, with America. I know what America is. America can easily be moved. Moved to the right direction … They won't get in our way."

Today Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said Netanyahu wanted a ceasefire and that Netanyahu "wanted to reestablish his deterrence and failed; tried to destroy missile launchers, and failed; and finally, tried to show that he had complete control over the initiative. All these failures have strengthened our resolve."

It should be noted that although Barack Obama has been in regular contact with Netanyahu, over the last two days the President has become the first U.S. President to visit the countries Myanmar and Cambodia.

One international player that has taken offense with Israel's shelling of Gaza Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who told a conference of the Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul thw following:

"Those who associate Islam with terrorism close their eyes in the face of mass killing of Muslims, turn their heads from the massacre of children in Gaza. For this reason, I say that Israel is a terrorist state, and its acts are terrorist acts."

Here's the video:

SEE ALSO: Israel Couldn't Have Chosen A Better Time To Strike Gaza >

