Two political analysts believe that US President-elect Donald Trump has begun mobilizing the Israeli street against Benjamin Netanyahu to force him to sign an agreement with the resistance to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.
The leaks indicate that the negotiations that have been ongoing for weeks between Israel and the Palestinian resistance have entered advanced stages, amid talk of Trump himself intervening to resolve the situation.
It seems that the faltering agreement has reached its first stage once and for all, and what is currently being discussed is the transition to the next stages without Israel returning to fighting, says political analyst Dr. Ahmed Al-Haila.
Netanyahu had previously refused to pledge to stop the fighting before eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), but he recently changed his tone and said that reaching a comprehensive or interim agreement had become necessary.
Real American pressure
This shift in Netanyahu’s speech reflects serious American pressure, which stems from Trump’s conviction that Netanyahu has begun to mortgage major Israeli and American interests with his personal interests, in the opinion of the trick.
The political analyst does not believe that a superpower can mortgage its interests and the interests of the most important ally in the region with the personal accounts of a person, regardless of his relationship with the American president, otherwise “politics will turn into absurdity.”
The Israeli Channel 13 reported from sources that Trump intervened in the negotiations himself during the past two days, while the Walla website reported from an Israeli official that Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, informed the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani that the president-elect wants See agreement within days.
The website said that Witkopf will inform Netanyahu of the same position during their meeting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, and that the Prime Minister will hold a position assessment meeting with the security institutions this evening.
After his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu’s office said that the latter directed that the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet and the army representative in the negotiating team be sent to Doha to continue negotiations.
Al-Haila believes that this unprecedented positive move from the Israeli position reflects Trump’s desire to end what is happening in the region, stressing that Netanyahu “can never disagree with the American president if his position is solid and serious.”
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted informed American sources as saying that the currently proposed formula for concluding an exchange deal “is the best that Hamas can see and is reasonable for all parties.”
The commission said that Israel “will have to pledge not to return to fighting, while Hamas will pledge to return all of the remaining kidnapped (prisoners) in the second stage.”
Trump mobilizes against Netanyahu
Israeli affairs expert Ihab Jabarin believes that Netanyahu’s talk about sending the head of the Mossad to Doha tonight is evidence that the deal has already been completed, but he stressed that this matter cannot be believed unless it is officially announced.
Jabareen believes that Washington and the Israeli media have begun to mobilize Israeli society to put pressure on Netanyahu, because talking about closing 90% of the gaps is not new, but what is new – as he says – is the presence of Trump on the scene and not Joe Biden, who was not exerting any significant pressure on Tel Aviv. .
American pressures appear more clear and strong during the current negotiations, in the opinion of Jabareen, who believes that the negotiations currently may be about the mechanism of transition between the stages, with Israel’s commitment not to resume the fighting.
Regarding the reasons driving Netanyahu for this retreat, Jabareen says that Trump has something he can give to Israel or withhold from it if it does not adhere to what he wants, adding, “Netanyahu will not sacrifice his major political project, his relations with Saudi Arabia, and the possibility of striking Iran, in order to remain in Gaza.”
In order for Netanyahu to get rid of Trump’s anger, he will have to convince him that Hamas is the one who failed the negotiations, which is very difficult, Jabareen says, because Washington knows with certainty that Israel is the one obstructing the deal.
Earlier today, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, published a new recording in which it responded to the appeal of a former Israeli prisoner to obtain a video clip showing the condition of her husband, who is still in captivity.
Sharon Cuneo – an Israeli prisoner who was liberated in the first exchange deal in late November 2023 – appealed to the Palestinian resistance in a video message sent to her to broadcast a video recording showing the condition of her husband, David Cuneo, who is still captive in Gaza.
