Israeli officials have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to obstruct reaching an agreement on a prisoner exchange deal with the Hamas movement, according to the “Yedioth Ahronoth” newspaper on Monday, May 27, 2024.
While Hamas insists on ending the war in Gaza, Netanyahu publicly opposes this condition. The Israeli newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that the only proposal on the table is the familiar one: a comprehensive agreement to return all Israeli prisoners.
Officials said that while the War Cabinet could discuss the first phase of the deal, Netanyahu is working to avoid reaching this point through his actions.
According to a senior official, “Netanyahu doesn’t overtly sabotage the agreement, but he does so even before it matures, so every opportunity is essentially missed.”
He added that if the Israeli War Cabinet receives an offer for a prisoner exchange deal, Netanyahu would be in the minority.
Meanwhile, it was noted that Netanyahu’s office messages to the families of the prisoners aim to reassure them, “but there’s nothing real behind them, and as long as Netanyahu refuses to discuss Hamas’ terms, no agreement can be discussed.”
An Israeli official stated: “There is no agreement with this government configuration.”
In a related context, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Major-General Nissan Alon, responsible for the prisoners and Israeli abductees file and a member of the negotiating team, publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s government, emphasizing that no agreement would be reached with this government setup.
Alon stated that he is pushing for a deal that includes a gradual return of all abductees, adding that “Hamas insisted on including a cessation of hostilities, and the Prime Minister was informed that a return to fighting could happen at any moment.”
Netanyahu’s office responded to Alon’s statements by attacking the negotiating team, saying that “while the Prime Minister has repeatedly given the negotiating team a broad mandate to release our hostages, Yahya Sinwar continues to demand an end to the war, the withdrawal of the army from the sector, and the safe exit of Hamas, so he can repeatedly commit atrocities on October 7th.”
He added that he “strongly opposes” this, arguing that “the concessions made by the negotiating team will only lead to Hamas’ hardening stance, harming families, and making the release of our hostages more distant.”
After weeks of deadlock, the War Cabinet decided last week to expand the negotiating team’s mandate, following the recent round of talks in Paris, where mediators agreed to make efforts to resume negotiations.
Negotiations to resume on Tuesday
In this context, CNN reported last night, citing an Egyptian source, that talks will resume in Cairo next Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal earlier mentioned that it’s unclear whether Hamas will agree to participate in the talks, with Arab mediators telling the newspaper that Hamas has been invited but hasn’t confirmed its participation in the new talks.
According to the Israeli newspaper, the deal framework consists of three stages: the first is the “humanitarian stage,” lasting 42 days of ceasefire, during which female soldiers and all Israeli civilians will be released.
As for the second stage, soldiers and other men who did not return in the first round will be returned. The third stage will involve the exchange of bodies, after which Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations will oversee the reconstruction of the sector.
According to the newspaper, the current dilemma revolves around the form of the second stage. Hamas demands that the three stages be part of one deal, including a written American guarantee, that the temporary ceasefire will become a reality to end the war and withdraw the Israeli army from Gaza.
On Sunday, Israeli broadcasting reported that the security apparatus believes it’s possible to deal with Hamas’ request for a ceasefire in Gaza within a prisoner exchange deal.
According to the broadcast authority, “Israel has presented two different proposals to the mediatory countries, aiming to start negotiations on the hostage deal.”
The proposals “do not differ significantly from each other,” and sources participating in the negotiations said that “as in previous rounds of talks, a temporary ceasefire will now be considered, and as Hamas offers to release more hostages alive, the number of ceasefire days and the number of Palestinians to be released as part of the deal will increase.”
Senior officials close to Netanyahu were also accused last night of Netanyahu working to avoid reaching this point in his behavior while the War Cabinet can discuss the first stage of the deal. One of the senior officials said: “Netanyahu doesn’t sabotage the agreement sharply, but he does so even before it matures. So every opportunity is essentially missed. And it’s clear that if a unified agreement reaches the War Cabinet, he will be in the minority.” Official.
The official responsible for the prisoners and Israeli hostages file by the army, Reserve Major General Nissan Alon, expressed his dissatisfaction with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, emphasizing that an agreement to exchange prisoners would not be reached under its tenure.
