Netanyahu, other Israel officials said to pour cold water on chances for pause in fighting

Israel officials are highly pessimistic that efforts for a temporary halt to fighting in Lebanon to facilitate ceasefire talks will work, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told ministers that any negotiations will only be held under fire, according to several reports.

Reports by The Wall Street Journal and Channel 12 news say the basic idea being negotiated is a halt of up to four weeks, during which negotiations would be held for a ceasefire in Lebanon and in Gaza. Channel 12 says Hamas would also announce it is holding fire, while IDF forces would remain in Gaza but not invade Lebanon. The network says talks would then focus on upgrading Security Council Resolution 1701 to better enforce a ceasefire and guarantee Hezbollah move away from the border.

However, Channel 13 news quotes an unnamed senior Israel official as saying there is “no feasibility for a settlement right now,” and that “Israel is prepared to hear suggestions, but the chances for an agreement are slim.”

The Ynet news site quotes an associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that in practice, “there are no negotiations,” and adding that the “red line for the prime minister and [Strategic Affairs] Minister [Ron] Dermer is pushing Hezbollah across the Litani [River].”

Ynet further reports, without citing sources, that Netanyahu told ministers in a security consultation that “any negotiations will only be held under fire; we are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force.”