Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is complaining that his negotiators are “showing weakness” at the troubled cease-fire talks with Hamas — while he’s not willing to “concede to demands that would harm security,” according to a new report.
Netanyahu, who is facing mounting pressure to accept a cease-fire proposal to ensure the release of the 109 hostages still in Gaza, has apparently shared his frustration with politicians in recent days, slamming Israeli mediators for not standing by his own demands, The Times of Israel reported.
“I’m on my own, facing the entire security establishment and the negotiating chiefs,” Netanyahu said, according to Channel 12.
“They are showing weakness and just looking for ways to capitulate, while I’m insisting on the interests of the State of Israel and am not prepared to concede to demands that would harm security.”
The prime minister said the current cease-fire delegation does not share his view on having Israel secure the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, a demand Hamas seeks to reject.
Israeli negotiators have previously said the condition would doom the cease-fire talks, but Netanyahu continues to demand the IDF’s presence be kept for security reasons after his troops captured the corridor in May.
Since then, Israel has found several large Hamas tunnels along the border, with officials claiming the area must remain under surveillance to halt the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.
Netanyahu added that he would not accept the placement of an international force along the border in place of the IDF.
While Israel has accepted the bridging proposal put forth by the US in what officials view as the final chance for peace in the Middle East, Hamas has slammed any hope for the talks to continue as “illusions.”
The terrorists have maintained that any cease-fire deal should include wording that establishes a permanent end to the war, not just a temporary pause for the hostage exchange.
“Hamas won’t accept this, because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent cease-fire,” an Egyptian official familiar with the talks told the Associated Press.
It also remains unclear how Israel would respond to the alleged condition put forth by Oct. 7 mastermind and Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who demanded that his safety be guaranteed as a part of the negotiations.
With Post wires
