Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Thursday night on reports that the Biden administration, along with several Arab countries, are advancing a plan to establish a Palestinian state.
At the Cabinet meeting, I clarified my position regarding the recent talk of imposing a Palestinian state on Israel,” Netanyahu said.
“My position is summed up in the following two sentences: 1. Israel rejects outright international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. Such a settlement will only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions.
2. Israel will continue to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition following the October 7 massacre would give a huge unprecedented reward to terrorism and prevent any future peace settlement,” he added.
High on the list of topics discussed by the agencies included speculation over whether or not hostages have received their medications.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFUpdated: FEBRUARY 15, 2024 22:11William Burns, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, attends his Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 24, 2021.(photo credit: TOM WILLIAMS/POOL VIA REUTERS)
A hostage deal is still possible, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday as CIA Director William Burns visited Israel after holding talks in Cairo which had appeared to be at a standstill.
“We’re now in the process with our counterparts from Qatar, from Egypt, from Israel, in working on that and working very intensely on that with the goal of trying to find an agreement and I believe that it is possible,” Blinken said at a news conference during a visit to Albania.
“There are some very, very hard issues that have to be resolved. But we’re committed to doing everything we can to move forward and to see if we can reach an agreement,” Blinken said.
Talks involving intelligence chiefs from the US, Egypt, Israel, and Qatar on a deal that would see a pause in Israel’s four-month-old war in Gaza ended without a breakthrough on Tuesday.
Asked whether an agreement could be reached on a break in hostilities before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins on March 10, Blinken said an earlier response from Hamas on a potential deal had included some “clear non-starters” but offered the possibility of working toward an agreement.
Gaza hostage families protest on Ayalon highway on January 18, 2024 (credit: LIOR SEGEV)
Adding fuel to the fire
In Tel Aviv CIA director Bill Burns met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several officials including Mossad Chief David Barnea and National Security Council Director Tzahi Hanegbi
Israeli officials explained that Netanyahu’s “maximum pressure” policy focused on strong military pressure and a firm stand in the negotiations, was the only way to force Hamas to drop its “delusional”: demands and bring about the release of the remaining 134 hostages.
At the meeting, Netanyahu demanded to know whether the captives had received the drugs that the USA, France Qatar had guaranteed would arrive.
The meeting took place just one day after Netanyahu had refused to authorize the return of an Israeli delegation to Cairo, a move that he reportedly took without consulting with the war cabinet.
An Israeli delegation had participated in talks on Tuesday. The Prime Minister’s Office had said that it had not received in Cairo any new proposal from Hamas on the release of our hostages.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement on Thursday that any agreement between Israel and Hamas should secure a ceasefire and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza in addition to achieving a serious prisoner swap deal,
The war cabinet met on Thursday night to discuss the stalemate and other issues relating to the Gaza war at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, as did the security cabinet.
Relatives of the hostages rallied outside, blocking roads and chaining themselves to the gate of the defense headquarters demanding that Netanyahu send a delegation to Cairo.
“This is the last chance! Don’t sacrifice them!,” they chanted.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday evening with US President Joe Biden, their second conversation this week.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the conversation lasted about 40 minutes.
The conversation dealt with the negotiations towards a hostage release deal, the continuation of the fighting in Gaza and a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, and the US demand that humanitarian aid be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip.
Biden and Netanyahu previously spoke for about 45 minutes on Sunday. A senior administration official later told CNN that the two leaders discussed a deal to secure the release of hostages in Gaza at length.
The officials cautioned that while a framework is in place, gaps remain.
The call between Biden and Netanyahu lasted about 45 minutes, and two-thirds of the call was focused on the release of hostages, according to the senior Biden administration official.
“There are certainly gaps that need to be closed. Some of them are significant, but there has been real progress over the last few weeks, and we are now seeking to do all we possibly can to capitalize on it,” the official said.
According to Ynet, the senior US official said that Biden is determined to bring about a hostage release deal and that, as far as he is concerned, “failure is not an option”.
Thursday’s conversation followed a report in The Washington Post which said that the Biden administration, together with several Arab countries, is quickly advancing a plan for a timetable to create a Palestinian state the day after the war in Gaza ends.
According to the plan, which the Post called a “comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and Palestinians,” the timeline for the establishment of “Palestine” could be announced within the next several weeks.
The plan is being advanced quickly due to the proposed temporary cessation of fire suggested in the prisoner swap deals placed on the negotiations table.
