Photo credit: Miriam Alster / Flash 90
Over the weekend, Israeli and American media were full of reports allegedly revealing details of a new proposal for a “bridge agreement” that the United States claims to have put forward to prevent the collapse of talks between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip over the release of hostages and a ceasefire.
Hamas still holds 115 of the 251 hostages its activists kidnapped during the October 7 invasion of southern Israel that launched the war against Israel. It is not known how many, if any, of the remaining prisoners are still alive.
Israel sent a full delegation to the two-day talks in Doha, which were brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Hamas did not bother to send anyone and rejected the latest “final” proposal just hours after the talks ended.
Unsurprisingly, the participants decided that the “final” talks would continue later this week in Cairo, as there was still room for “optimism”.
In remarks at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed reports that Israel may have agreed to a withdrawal from key areas of the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphia Corridor – one of Hamas’ key demands that Israel has so far ruled out.
“Israel is prepared for any threat – both defensive and offensive. We are determined to defend ourselves and to exact a very high price from any enemy that dares to attack us – no matter on what territory,” Netanyahu said.
“At the same time, we are negotiating the release of our hostages. This is a national mission of the highest order. We are conducting very complex negotiations in which the other side is a murderous terrorist organization that is unbridled and persistent,” he stressed.
“However, I would like to stress that we are in negotiations and not in a scenario where we just give and give.
“There are things we can be flexible on and there are things we cannot be flexible on. We will insist on that. We know very well how to distinguish between the two,” he stressed, but did not reveal any details about which points Israel could and could not show flexibility on.
“In addition to the great efforts we are making to release our hostages, we stand by the principles we have established that are crucial to Israel’s security,” Netanyahu reiterated. “I repeat: these principles are consistent with the May 27 framework, which is supported by the United States.”
“I want to stress again: Until now, Hamas has been completely stubborn. It has not even sent a representative to the talks in Doha. Therefore, the pressure must be directed at Hamas and (terrorist leader Yahya) Sinwar, not at the Israeli government,” Netanyahu added, a remark that appeared to be aimed specifically at the mediators.
“We can only achieve the release of our hostages through strong military and diplomatic pressure.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday for his ninth visit since the war began, presumably to increase pressure on the Netanyahu government in view of the upcoming American presidential election and to urge it to make concessions to Hamas in the hope of securing a “victory” for the Biden administration.
