From the Liveblog of
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Netanyahu’s office rails at ‘leaks and false briefings’ criticizing his handling of hostage talks
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes back against news reports that top defense officials and members of the government’s negotiating team have criticized his management of the indirect hostage-ceasefire talks with Hamas.
“The leaks and false briefings by unknown parties in the media create a false representation to the public,” the Prime Minister’s Office tells the Kan public broadcaster after it reported Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar accused the premier of “making changes” to Israel’s proposal in the middle of negotiations.
According to Kan, members of the negotiating team further told Netanyahu that his position regarding the Netzarim corridor would “collapse the deal” and that “we approved a proposal that treats the corridor differently.”
Responding to the report, Netanyahu’s office says, “while Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to the outline, Hamas is trying to introduce dozens of changes which effectively cancel it.”
“The prime minister has not added anything to the outline and continues to adhere to the basic conditions for Israel’s security,” the statement from his office continues. “Whoever offers to give in to Hamas’ demands in order to receive applause in [television] studios harms the chances for the release of the hostages and returns us to the reality of October 6.”
Netanyahu himself last month added several “non-negotiable” demands to the hostage deal proposal, including Israeli control over the so-called Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt and the Netzarim Corridor, which currently splits the Strip in two.
The Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors are not specified as locations where Israeli troops will be allowed to remain, according to the text of the Israeli proposal from May recently published in full by The Times of Israel.
In fact, the document calls for the “withdrawal of Israeli forces eastwards away from densely populated areas along the borders in all areas of the Gaza Strip including Gaza Valley (Netzarim axis and Kuwait roundabout).”
