Channel 13: The ruling coalition is heading towards a crisis against the backdrop of a delegation going to Qatar to negotiate (European)
Israeli Channel 13 reported that disputes arose between the army official in charge of the file of Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza and government ministers to demand that he expand the powers of the negotiating delegation, after reports of an Israeli delegation heading - today, Monday - to Doha to respond to the proposal of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding a new exchange deal. .
The channel quoted the official as saying that the political leadership had “excessively” reduced the delegation’s powers, and that the negotiations would fail without broad powers, according to what informed sources told the Israeli channel.
Channel 13 added that the ruling coalition is heading towards a crisis due to the negotiating delegation going to Qatar, noting that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to leave the government if Palestinian prisoners were released, whom they described as having “blood on their hands.”
The Jerusalem Post also reported - citing Israeli officials - that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu granted the negotiating delegation a mandate much less than what the security leaders requested.
Israeli Channel 13: Ben Gvir (right) and Smotrich threatened to leave the government if Palestinian prisoners were released (Reuters)
For its part, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu prevented the head of the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) and the head of the Military Intelligence Division (Aman) from meeting with Barbara Leaf, the US Assistant Secretary of State, who is visiting Israel.
Israeli media said earlier that an Israeli delegation is heading - today, Monday - to the Qatari capital, Doha, to present Tel Aviv’s response to the Hamas movement’s proposal regarding a deal to exchange prisoners and detainees and reach a truce in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli political and military levels are dominated by escalating disagreements that threaten to dissolve the government and call for early elections, in the wake of last October 7, following the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza against Israel, in response to the attacks of the occupation and settlers against the Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
From a protest by Israelis demanding an exchange deal for the return of detainees from Gaza (Reuters)
Israel is also witnessing repeated protests led by families of detainees in Gaza, during which demonstrators block streets in Tel Aviv to demand the conclusion of an exchange deal, and call for the dismissal of Netanyahu and holding early elections.
Last Saturday, Israeli Minister Gideon Sa'ar threatened to withdraw from the government if he did not join the war council, accusing the government of not having a clear plan to destroy the capabilities of the Hamas movement, after he announced last Tuesday that he was dissolving his political partnership with Minister in the war council, Benny Gantz, and dissolving the "coalition." State camp.
Source: Al Jazeera + Israeli press