Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified cancelling a visit by a high-ranking Israeli delegation to the US by saying it was intended to send a message to Hamas. Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday that the militant Palestinian organization was convinced that international pressure following the latest resolution by the UN Security Council would prevent Israel from freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu said he wanted to let the Islamists know that they could not rely on this pressure having any effect on Israel. “I hope they have understood the m…