Netanyahu opened the government session by attacking President Biden amid increasing pressure on him to conclude an exchange deal (Reuters)

Occupied Jerusalem

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing unprecedented internal pressure to reach a comprehensive exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, with the widening circle of protests demanding an end to the war and holding early elections.

These pressures come in light of an official admission by senior Israeli officials that the Hamas movement has shown flexibility that would lead to the completion of the exchange deal and the return of Israeli detainees in stages, an admission that puts Netanyahu, who continues to evade, in a circle of confusion.

Netanyahu appeared to be outside the Israeli consensus calling for the release of detainees when he refused to hold discussions in the war council regarding the Doha negotiations for the exchange deal, a position that prompted the Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, to hold an alternative session without Netanyahu, a step that was considered by Israeli commentators’ assessments to be in harmony with the American path that pushes To President Joe Biden.

In the presence of the leadership of the security and military services, Galant discussed the nature of the authority of the Israeli delegation headed by Mossad chief David Barnea, who will arrive in the Qatari capital, Doha, tomorrow, Monday, to resume talks on the exchange deal and ceasefire.

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv demand that Netanyahu conclude an exchange deal to return detainees and a ceasefire (Reuters)

payment

Gallant was quick to stress that the Israeli security establishment is obligated to return detainees to their families and to exploit every opportunity to do so, including the Doha negotiations.

He said, "Military pressure in the ground maneuver is the key not only to operational achievement, but also to the return of the abductees through operational means or through negotiations."

In an indication of the possibility of overcoming the obstacles placed by Netanyahu and the camp of far-right parties that reject any exchange deal, Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper website before their delegation traveled to Doha, that “Israel will pay a price in exchange for the release of the kidnapped people, but we will not agree to stop the war.” ".

In the face of Gallant's move and the rising voices in the emergency government, as well as in the opposition camp headed by Yair Lapid, and with the ranks of Likud ministers calling for paying the price for the exchange deal, Netanyahu found himself forced to hold a special session of the government, in order to consider expanding the powers of the Israeli delegation regarding the possible exchange deal.

In light of these developments and the expansion of Israeli support for the American path that pushes towards an exchange deal and a ceasefire, Netanyahu opened the weekly government session by attacking US President Joe Biden, saying, “Have you already forgotten the events of October 7? Instead of putting pressure on Israel, he transferred the pressure to Hamas.”

Military analyst for Haaretz newspaper, Amos Harel, believes that in light of Netanyahu's approach and policies in managing the war crisis and the exchange deal negotiations, "the opportunity to reach an agreement depends on the powers and room for maneuver that Netanyahu will grant to the Israeli delegation to Qatar."

Harel stressed that in the answer provided by Hamas, a certain flexibility appears, and with it a renewed possibility of reaching an agreement, but Netanyahu continues to raise the slogan of “fighting until complete victory,” as it is difficult to expect a sharp shift in his position, despite Israeli internal pressure and the expanding circle of protests and demonstrations. Against him.

The Israeli military analyst explained that Netanyahu, who expressed his approval for the Israeli delegation to resume the Doha negotiations, is concealing the nature of the powers and delegation of the members of the delegation, and whether their role will merely be to listen to the proposals presented by the mediators, as was the case in one of the previous rounds in Cairo.

American perception

Harel believes that the American administration is putting pressure on the Israeli side in order to reach an agreement, noting that from Washington's point of view, the "hostage" deal, along with a temporary ceasefire, is the cornerstone of moving a future political path in the Middle East.

He estimated that Washington expects possible progress on a long list of critical issues, if an exchange deal is concluded, by implementing the “next day” implementation, while giving a major role to the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, which displeases Netanyahu, and a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And until the resumption of normalization negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

In contrast to the American path, which clashes with Netanyahu, the military correspondent for the Walla website, Amir Bukhubout, believes that Netanyahu wants to buy time in order to obtain international support for the ground operation in Rafah, as he is betting on the failure of the negotiations with Hamas, mediated by Qatar, in order to give light. Green for the army to attack Rafah.

The military correspondent explained that the assessment in the Israeli army is that if the political level declares the failure of the negotiations in the current round, the legitimacy of a large ground operation will increase, and then it will be up to the political level to decide whether the ground forces will advance towards Rafah, and whether it is necessary to wait to begin the operation. Until after Ramadan.

Israeli officials believe that the Rafah operation will not lead to the elimination of Hamas (French)

Long fight

Boukhbout pointed out that the security establishment’s estimates indicate that entering into a long truce as part of the hostage release deal will strip Hezbollah’s legitimacy to continue attacks on Israeli border towns, and then it will be at the political level to make decisions regarding the continuation of the fighting in southern Lebanon.

From a security point of view, the acting head of the National Security Council, Yaakov Nagel, believes that although he does not see any chance of reaching an agreement at this stage, it is important to continue sending the Israeli delegation to the talks in Qatar, saying that “the agreement with Hamas "It must include everything except the end of the war."

Nagel estimated in an interview with Tel Aviv Radio, "There will not be a deal in the near future because Hamas is still strong and imposes conditions. Likewise, the movement still has control in Gaza, and is still fighting in the north and central Gaza Strip."

The National Security Council official said, "Fighting Hamas will take many years. Hamas will not be eliminated with a mere ground operation in Rafah. The fighting will continue even after the army takes control of the Gaza Strip, which indicates armed resistance."

Source: Al Jazeera