4/9/2024–|Last update: 4/9/202404:30 PM (Makkah Time)
The political correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Maariv said that one of the possible scenarios for the final proposal that the American side will present for the prisoner exchange deal may include asking Israel and Hamas to agree to all stages of the deal at once.
Anna Brasky, in her report published by the newspaper today, Wednesday, quoted Israeli political sources as saying that the American plan “will cancel negotiations between the stages of the deal and require all parties to agree to it at once. It means ending the fighting, withdrawing the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, transferring responsibility for the Philadelphi corridor to an external force, and providing guarantees that Hamas officials will not be eliminated, most notably the movement’s leader, Yahya Sinwar.”
“take it or leave it”
The correspondent highlighted the pessimism surrounding the fate of the deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel will never give up the Philadelphi corridor because it is a vital strategic need for national security, and said, “The prevailing conclusion is that the deal is dead and what we see alive is in fact its burial ceremony.”
Israeli officials were quoted as saying that the latest plan in the “take it or leave it” formula that the Americans will put on the table “will be bad for Israel and worse than the current plan that Hamas has already rejected,” and that “if Israel rejects the offer, the Americans will turn diplomacy into using sticks… for example, they will not use their veto in the Security Council against resolutions against Israel, which will deepen its political isolation.”
But, in the face of this pessimism, she indicated that Netanyahu may deal with the deal in a way that will ultimately lead to the Israeli government accepting it, while avoiding the embarrassment of personally accepting it. She said, “It is believed that at the moment of truth, Netanyahu will put it to a vote, not in the cabinet but in the full cabinet session, where Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and members of their parties will oppose it, and the ultra-Orthodox ministers will support it, while the Likud ministers will be divided between supporters and opponents, and thus the agreement will win the required majority.”
The correspondent reiterated what she had said earlier about the Israeli prime minister’s position, which is that “Netanyahu does not oppose the deal and is not working to undermine the negotiations for political reasons. Fortifying his position on the strategic importance of the Philadelphi Corridor does not mean a death sentence for a hostage deal. At the same time, it must be precise: Netanyahu is not keen on reaching an agreement, but he is not opposed to it in principle.”
She added that Netanyahu believes that “the combination of the complex domestic political situation, American pressure, and the narrow security alternatives leads him to understand that not reaching an agreement is the worst option, and it is doubtful whether he, as Prime Minister of Israel, is able to bear the consequences that accompany going for the option of disrupting the deal,” in her opinion.
Kirby: Biden is personally engaged in working with our team and regional leaders to reach a ceasefire in Gaza#Gaza_War #News pic.twitter.com/4W9jDRejg6
— Tel Aviv Tribune Channel (@AJArabic) September 4, 2024
Failure of negotiations
Brasky quoted the political sources’ interpretation of Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements at the press conference in which he threatened to target Hamas, saying that he meant targeting its civilian and governmental structure in addition to its military structure, and said that “this is an adoption of the alternative civilian plan for Gaza that Defense Minister Yoav Galant published and promoted with the support of the defense establishment about 6 months ago.”
“The prime minister’s message about targeting the Hamas government is nothing more than creating a possibility in case the communications fail,” she added.
But she noted that a previous Israeli effort to transfer control of the public sphere to local, non-Hamas clans had failed because Netanyahu rejected it and because clan leaders refused to cooperate with him.
“It turns out that the situation in Gaza has changed today, as Hamas’s grip has weakened enough for the clan leaders to feel secure enough to resume cooperation with Israel,” Maariv’s political correspondent said, claiming.
She concluded by saying, “The clans are waiting to see how the deal negotiations will end. The success of the agreement means that Hamas will remain in the Gaza Strip. The collapse of the negotiations means that the Israeli army will remain, which will allow the possibility of repeating the previous experience.”
