Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that because of the terror group Hamas’s continued stubbornness, pressure for a hostage deal – from the United States and domestic opposition forces – must be placed on Hamas, not the Israeli government.
Netanyahu made the remarks at the start of talks with the ruling coalition after negotiations concluded in Doha, Qatar, on Friday without a Hamas representative present. Hamas, led by its new leader Yahya Sinwar, boycotted the talks.
The Israeli government is under pressure from the United States to agree to the deal, although it already accepted the terms put forward by President Joe Biden in May. (Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to visit Israel this week, his ninth visit since the Oct. 7 terror attacks.)
Most Israelis also want Hamas defeated and reject any agreement that would allow it to rearm, but the country’s opposition forces are also holding weekly demonstrations calling for an agreement.
The talks have progressed, and Israel has reportedly shown flexibility over the issue of withdrawing its troops from the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, which Israel seized in an attack on Rafah in May and where it uncovered dozens of cross-border smuggling tunnels.
But Hamas refused to attend the talks and accused Israel of making new demands, which Netanyahu denied.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday:
[W]We are negotiating the release of hostages. This is a mission at the highest level of the nation. We are conducting very complex negotiations with an unbridled, aggressive, murderous terrorist organization.
But I want to emphasize that we are negotiating, it’s not a give and take scenario. There are some things we can be flexible on, there are some things we can’t be flexible on, and we will insist on that. We know very well how to distinguish between the two.
…
Let me emphasize again: Hamas has been completely intransigent so far. It did not even send a representative to the Doha talks. Therefore, pressure needs to be directed at Hamas and Sinwar, not at the Israeli government.
Strong military and diplomatic pressure is the only way to secure the hostages’ release.
Israel has refused to accede to Hamas’ demands to completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and agree never to attack Hamas again. Israel’s goal is to destroy Hamas as a military threat and a governing power.
The Biden administration is pressing for a deal before the U.S. presidential election, linking it to a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist group in Lebanon that has been firing rockets at Israel.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
