jordan pulse -

"Israel Today" newspaper said that the relationship between Gantz (right) and Netanyahu is worse than the start of the war on Gaza (French)
3/19/2024
"Israel Today" newspaper said - today, Tuesday - that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to expel a member of the Council Benny Gantz stopped making a decision in the ongoing negotiations regarding a possible ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

The Israeli newspaper added that Netanyahu informed the members of the mini-cabinet - in a meeting held yesterday - that the directions for the negotiating delegation would be determined by him and Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

She added that those close to Gantz are dissatisfied with the decision, but they do not expect his party (the State Camp) to withdraw from the war council now.

According to "Israel Today", the relationship between Netanyahu and Gantz - in recent days - is the worst since the beginning of the war on October 7.

On the other hand, the Jerusalem Post quoted informed Israeli officials as saying that the Prime Minister granted the negotiating delegation limited powers, much less than what the heads of the security establishment requested.

The newspaper also quoted them as saying that Netanyahu had set stricter red lines regarding the Palestinian prisoners who would be released, as well as regarding additional demands from Hamas.

She also stated that it was decided - during the last meeting of the War Council - to grant Netanyahu and Gallant the possibility of making a decision without the approval of the War Council in the event that issues arise in the ongoing negotiations in Qatar that exceed the delegation’s powers.

On the other hand, the American news site Axios quoted Israeli officials as saying that Netanyahu narrowed the scope of the negotiating delegation’s mandate and set red lines for what they could accept.


Crisis in the ruling coalition
In the meantime, Israeli Channel 13 said that the ruling coalition is heading toward a crisis against the backof the negotiating delegation going to Doha.

She added that the Ministers of Security and Finance, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, threatened - in a closed session - to leave the government if Palestinian prisoners were released, “with blood on their hands,” as they described it.



Channel 13 also reported that disagreements broke out between the army detainee file official, Major General Nitzan Alon, and some ministers, against the backof his demand to expand the powers of the negotiating delegation.

It also quoted sources it described as informed that the official in charge of the army detainees file stated that the political leadership had excessively reduced the delegation’s powers, and that he believed that the negotiations would fail unless the delegation was granted broad powers.

For its part, Israeli Channel 12 indicated that the Prime Minister prevented the head of the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) and the head of the Military Intelligence Service (Aman) from meeting with the American assistant secretary of state who is visiting Israel.



Israel described the proposal presented by Hamas a few days ago to mediators in Egypt and Qatar as unrealistic, but it nevertheless decided to send a delegation to Doha to negotiate.

Hamas proposed concluding a three-stage deal that would lead to stopping the Israeli war on Gaza, and include exchanging Israeli prisoners for Palestinian prisoners.

Source: Axios