Israeli disagreements regarding the exchange deal: a stormy session witnessed by the cabinet

Disagreements are increasing within the Israeli occupation government regarding concluding a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas in Gaza, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renews his adherence to its conditions, which is opposed by a number of officials and ministers, amid expressing their doubts about the possibility of reaching the exchange deal due to these conditions, according to what was reported. Hebrew media.

These disagreements between the political and security levels of the Israeli government come amid the continuation of indirect negotiations conducted by mediators between Israel and Hamas to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mossad chief: The prisoners do not have time

On Wednesday evening, the Hebrew website Wallah reported from an unnamed minister in the cabinet that Mossad chief David Barnea told Netanyahu during a meeting of the mini-war management forum on Tuesday that “it will take many weeks to find a screening mechanism that prevents the transfer of weapons from the southern Strip.” Gaza to the north, and the Israeli women in captivity do not have this time.”

Barnea's speech came against the backdrop of Netanyahu's desire to push for the establishment of a mechanism to prevent the passage of militants into the northern Gaza Strip, a clause that was not included in the original plan for the deal, despite Netanyahu's repeated confirmation of his support for the American deal proposed by President Joe Biden, according to the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, which published it. The other is a report on what happened in the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Hebrew media and Israeli commentators warned of Netanyahu’s insistence on specific conditions for completing the deal, including “preventing the passage of militants from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north, and allowing the Israeli presence in the Philadelphia axis (on the border between Gaza and Egypt),” saying that it would “blow up the deal with agitation".

An exchange deal... between an opponent and a supporter

In the same meeting, the Ministers of National Security, head of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister, head of the Religious Zionism Party, Bezalel Smotrich, expressed their opposition to the exchange deal with Hamas, according to what was reported by the Wallah website.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev, from Netanyahu’s Likud Party, said during the meeting: “This is a bleeding wound in society, and it is our duty towards the public and the citizens who were not protected by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet (General Security Service) on October 7, 2023, to bring them back.” . This is the same opinion adopted by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamaliel (from Likud), according to the same source.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, which also published a report on what happened at the cabinet meeting, Gamaliel, an observer in the cabinet, told Netanyahu, “This deal is registered in your name, and you must go ahead with it until the end and ignore all coalition threats from Ben Gvir and Smotrich.”

Ben Gvir threatened to leave the hall, telling Netanyahu: “Mrs. (Gamaliel) is an observer, and it is time to put her in her place. She does not even represent Likud’s positions,” according to the newspaper. Netanyahu responded by saying: “I do not comment on political matters. It is the military pressure on Hamas that will bring the kidnappers.”

Netzarim and Philadelphia axes

For his part, Defense Minister Yoav Galant said during the meeting, according to the Hebrew media, that: “There is a weak possibility of reaching a deal to release the kidnappers that includes searching Palestinians who pass from the south of the Gaza Strip to its north on the Netzarim axis (established by the Israeli army south of Gaza City and separating the north of the Gaza Strip.” On the south side)

An informed source told Wallah that the head of the Mossad said the same thing. Gallant added, "The Israeli security establishment can find solutions to the issue of preventing smuggling from the Philadelphia axis through (technological) means that will be placed on the Egyptian side of the border."

In turn, Netanyahu repeated his statement that only "through more military pressure can the kidnapped people be returned." He claimed that "ministers and security officials who publicly express the opposite are weakening Israel's position in the negotiations," according to what was reported by the Wallah website.

On Monday evening, Netanyahu said in an interview with the private Channel 14 that his country’s army would remain in the Philadelphia axis, contradicting Security Minister Gallant, who opposes remaining in the axis. Netanyahu considered at the time that remaining in the axis “has political and security advantages,” adding, “Everyone is allowed to express his opinion, and the Prime Minister is also allowed to do so, and in the end we will make the decision according to the majority, and I am sure that the majority supports my position as it is the correct position.”

On May 29, the Israeli army announced that it had completely ended its control over the Philadelphia axis in Rafah on the Palestinian-Egyptian border, and said at the time that it had “discovered at least 20 tunnels crossing into Sinai territory,” according to the private Israeli Channel 12.

At the beginning of last June, US President Biden presented the terms of the deal that Israel presented to him “to stop the fighting and release all the kidnapped people.” The broad outlines of the deal included a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from populated areas, and the release of women and the sick, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.

According to the plan, the first phase of the deal will take 6 weeks, during which the second phase of the ceasefire will be discussed as long as the negotiations continue. The second phase of the deal includes the release of all living Israeli prisoners, including soldiers, and in addition, the temporary ceasefire will become permanent. The third stage includes the return of the bodies of other prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

For months, mediation efforts led by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would guarantee an exchange of prisoners from both sides and a ceasefire, leading to ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian Strip. However, mediation efforts were hampered due to Netanyahu's refusal to respond to Hamas's demands to stop the war.

(Anatolia)