From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 19, 2024
Israeli official: US accepts Jerusalem’s approach to Philadelphi Route; PM believes Iran will try to attack even if there’s a deal
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
An Israeli official familiar with the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells The Times of Israel that “the Americans did not reject Israel’s strategic logic.”
The official stresses that Israel cannot leave the Philadelphi Route completely because “we cannot be sure that we can go back” if needed because of international pressure.
The US accepts Israel’s approach to the Philadelphi Route, says the official, and efforts will continue this week to find a solution that protects Israel’s security interests.
The official likens the attitude heard in defense circles, that “we will know how to deal with” any threats that arise from Hamas if Israel leaves the Gaza-Egypt border, to similar approaches during the Oslo peace process in the 1990s, the 2005 disengagement, and the deal that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, or the “Hamas is deterred” approach.
The official also rejects the idea that a ceasefire would keep Iran from attacking Israel: “The prime minister assesses that Iran will try to attack Israel anyway.”
“Iran is interested in the end of the war so Hamas will survive,” adds the official.
The official argues that if Israel agrees to end the war without achieving its goal of toppling Hamas, it would send a message of weakness throughout the region.
“That is the last thing Israel should do at this time,” says the official.
