Axios: Netanyahu Backtracks on Hostage Deal and Sparks New Crisis with Washington
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is interested in reaching a “partial deal” with Hamas that would release “some hostages” held in Gaza and allow Israel to continue fighting in the sector.
The American site “Axios” confirmed that Netanyahu‘s statements backtrack on an Israeli proposal for a three-phase deal that would have led to the release of all 120 remaining hostages and “sustainable calm” in Gaza.
New Crisis
The site continued, stating that Netanyahu‘s comments contradict the statements of officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden, who said in recent days that “Netanyahu and his aides reaffirmed their support for the proposal.”
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It added that in recent weeks, Netanyahu‘s two partners in the far-right coalition, extremist nationalist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to withdraw from the coalition and topple the government if the proposal turned into an agreement.
Flashback:
The proposal was approved by the Israeli war cabinet in late May and was publicly presented by President Biden in a speech on May 31.
The Biden administration rallied broad international support for the proposal and managed to convince the United Nations Security Council to issue a resolution endorsing it.
Hamas officially responded to the proposal about two weeks after Biden‘s speech, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on June 12 that the group had requested changes to the proposal and raised new demands beyond its previous positions.
Blinken said at the time that while Israel had accepted the proposal, Hamas had not.
The site confirmed that Netanyahu embarrassed the American administration with his statements during his extended interview with Israeli Channel 14, because when asked if he would agree to end the war as part of the hostage deal, he said: “He would not do so,” adding, “I will not stop the war and leave Hamas standing in Gaza.”
Netanyahu added: “I am willing to reach a partial agreement, it’s no secret, that would bring back some hostages, but we are committed to continuing the war after the pause to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas, I will not surrender.”
The American site continued, stating that Netanyahu claimed his position on the deal was not a secret, but this was the first time he had spoken publicly about a “partial deal” or hinted that he did not intend to implement the three phases of the Israeli proposal.
The White House declined to comment on Netanyahu‘s statements.
The site confirmed that the Israeli Prime Minister’s statements are likely to increase tensions between the Israeli government and the White House, which have escalated in recent days due to Netanyahu‘s allegations that the Biden administration is withholding weapons from Israel.
Internal Pressures
According to the American site, the Hostage Families Forum headquarters, an NGO representing most of the hostage families and lobbying for their release, attacked Netanyahu for his statements.
They said: “We strongly condemn the Prime Minister’s statement in which he backtracked on the Israeli proposal, this means he is abandoning 120 hostages and harming the moral duty of the State of Israel towards its citizens.”
Netanyahu‘s office responded with a statement that did not deny his backtracking on the proposal.
Netanyahu‘s office said: “Hamas is the one opposing the agreement, not Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that we will not leave Gaza until we bring back all our 120 hostages, alive or dead.”
On the other side, Hamas responded to Netanyahu‘s statements, saying they prove the Biden administration was not honest when it said Israel had agreed to the hostage deal and ceasefire proposal.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said at the beginning of a cabinet meeting that ammunition coming to Israel from the United States had significantly decreased over the past four months.
A White House official responded to Netanyahu‘s new accusations, saying: “We will not continue to respond to Netanyahu’s political statements, we look forward to constructive consultations with Defense Minister Galant in Washington this week.”
