US lecturing Israel in secret – media
US officials believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “maximalist statements” are hindering ceasefire talks over the war in Gaza, multiple media reports have claimed. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a tour of the Middle East on Tuesday, amid a US push for a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The reported criticism of Netanyahu comes amid claims that the Israeli prime minister has expressed a hardline stance on the continued Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presence in Gaza.
Blinken held three hours of talks with Netanyahu on Monday in West Jerusalem. He later announced to the media that the Israeli leader had accepted a “bridging proposal” intended to bring Israel and Hamas closer to a full ceasefire. The militant group did not attend the negotiations, citing the lack of a clear plan, and had refused a US ceasefire proposal the day before.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu reportedly told the relatives of Israeli captives in Gaza that he is not ready to withdraw IDF troops from the Netzarim Corridor or the Philadelphi Corridor. The latter runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, a key area that Israel says Hamas uses to smuggle in weapons from Egypt, as well as a major route of humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Speaking anonymously, a US official from Blinken’s entourage criticized Netanyahu’s comments on Tuesday, saying that “maximalist statements like this are not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line and they certainly risk the ability of implementing level, working level and technical talks,” as cited by the BBC and ArabNews.
An unnamed source among Israel’s negotiating team similarly accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the discussions. The statement from the Israeli prime minister “is intended to blow up the negotiations, there’s no other way about it,” the official told national media. During a critical period of negotiations around the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors, Netanyahu “knows there is progress – and then he puts out statements that are the opposite of what was agreed upon with the mediators,” they added.
The Israeli prime minister is facing increased pressure from both the US and protesters at home to negotiate a hostage deal and ceasefire with Hamas. Some 105 of the 251 hostages abducted by the militant group during its October 7 raids on Israel remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 confirmed dead by the IDF, according to the Times of Israel. In addition to taking hostages, the militant group killed around 1,200 people in the attack. The subsequent IDF operation in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians to date, according to local health authorities.
