From the Liveblog of
Friday, March 22, 2024
War cabinet pressured PM to expand Doha team’s mandate, Shin Bet chief threatened not to go – report
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressured by war cabinet members and senior defense establishment officials to expand the mandate of the team that has traveled to Doha for talks on a hostage deal and truce, Channel 12 reports.
The outlet describes the meeting – held before the team departed – as “dramatic.”
According to the broadcaster, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar threatened not to go to Qatar unless there was room for maneuver in the discussions.
The team has flown to Qatar to meet CIA director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence head Abbas Kamel.
Following some reported pressure on Hamas by Qatar and Egypt to soften its demands, Israel agreed to send a delegation to negotiate an agreement on the table for a six-week truce in Gaza — based on a framework reached in Paris last month — and the release of some 40 children, women, elderly and sick hostages in the first phase, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and an increase of humanitarian aid to the Strip.
Hamas had said during earlier negotiations that it was seeking a permanent ceasefire, a condition Israel has rejected outright, vowing to stick to its goal of destroying the terror group.
