Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has made the decision not to send Israel’s negotiation team to Qatar at this time for discussions concerning the second phase of the current ceasefire and hostage agreement, which is scheduled to begin on Monday. This information was shared by the Walla news outlet, citing an unnamed senior Israeli source.
This move has been described as a “very worrying sign” for the future of the deal’s second phase, with a senior official expressing concern that it could undermine the progress made during the first phase, which has now lasted 42 days.
As per the terms of the agreement, talks for the second phase are supposed to begin on Monday, marking the 16th day of the initial phase. The second stage is anticipated to involve the release of all remaining living hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian security prisoners and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the region.
There are growing reports suggesting that Netanyahu is seriously considering the option of resuming military operations after the conclusion of the first phase, rather than proceeding with the second phase of the deal.
Walla has reported that Netanyahu unexpectedly canceled a planned meeting with top security officials, including Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and hostage coordinator Nitzan Alon. Instead, he sent his military secretary, Roman Gofman, to inform the senior negotiators that Netanyahu had decided to hold off on sending the team to Qatar for the time being.
The source explained that Netanyahu wants to delay any decisions on the matter until after his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday. However, postponing the negotiations until then could potentially breach the terms of the agreement.
Additionally, reports suggest that Netanyahu is considering appointing his close ally, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, to lead the negotiation team in place of Barnea, arguing that the talks are more about diplomacy and strategy than security concerns.
{Matzav.com}