Lapid speaks to reporters after his meeting with Blinken at the US State Department headquarters in Washington (French)
Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said that the prisoner exchange deal is difficult but still possible, following his meeting yesterday, Monday, in Washington, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The Israeli opposition leader explained that he held a “fruitful meeting” with Blinken in Washington regarding future issues related to the need to resolve the Gaza crisis and “release the hostages.”
In his statements, Lapid confirmed that the opposition would give its approval to the Israeli government to conclude the deal if necessary, as he put it. He said, "It is a difficult deal. We may not like it, but it can be concluded, and then it must be concluded."
He added, "The hostage deal is still possible and that there are political elements in Israel working on it."
At the same time, he stressed that "eliminating what remains of (the Islamic Resistance Movement) Hamas remains a priority so that what happened on the seventh of last October is not repeated."
He continued by telling reporters in front of the Foreign Ministry headquarters, "If necessary, the Israeli opposition will provide a safety net for the government to complete the hostage deal because we have to return them."
Lapid met with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during his visit to Washington as well, at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure at home and abroad regarding the war on the Gaza Strip.
The families of the prisoners demanded that his government make greater efforts to return the prisoners captured by Hamas in the October 7 attack.
Lapid's visit to Washington comes days after US President Joe Biden urged Netanyahu to give powers to his negotiators that would enable them to reach an agreement.
Biden warned Netanyahu for the first time that American support may depend on Israel making more efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and protect civilians.
In response to a question about the American warning, Lapid said that Biden is “clearly concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
For 6 months, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip that has left tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and a noticeable deterioration in infrastructure and property, which led to Israel being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters