Western diplomats said to accuse Katz, Netanyahu of sabotaging truce talks

Recent remarks by senior Israeli officials against a potential ceasefire appear to be efforts to sabotage talks for an Israel-Hezbollah pause in fighting to facilitate truce talks, according to two unnamed Western diplomats cited by Haaretz.

Statements like the one Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued, saying “there will not be a ceasefire in the north,” could tank the diplomatic efforts and lead to a full-out war, the sources are quoted as saying.

Giving Katz’s tweet as an example, one of the diplomats says: “This looks like deliberate harm to the negotiations.”

A diplomat from a country whose government has backed the talks is cited as expressing concern over what was reported as a briefing sent to reporters by the Prime Minister’s Office, asserting that Israel has set conditions for the talks that Hezbollah will not accept.

“These remarks aren’t helpful,” the official says.