Yediot Aharonot’s Arab affairs comentator Avi Issacharoff was interviewed recently on Udi Segal and Anat Davidov’s program on 103FM radio to discuss Hamas’s position on a hostage deal.
Issacharoff began by stating, “There has been a change in Hamas’s position. They are showing a willingness to go to an agreement without knowing in advance if we go to a complete ceasefire. Hamas no longer demands what it demanded at the beginning. There is flexibility. There are several considerations here, one of which is the military pressure taking its toll. Hamas is not immune to social pressure, so it may be that they are ready for some kind of easy compromise.”
Issacharoff added that “the mediators, Egypt and Qatar, with the encouragement of the Americans, are putting a lot of pressure on Hamas. The bottom line is that it seems to me that Sinwar realizes that he reached a certain peak a few months ago in terms of achievements and in the opinion of the international public, and now he is starting to see a decline. The same demonstrations in Europe influenced the opinion of the international audience.”
Will Netanyahu’s political motivations outweigh a potential deal?
“You can understand the considerations and the pressure on the prime minister’s side. What can be done? There are 120 hostages here that we want to return home alive, and there are prices that we have to pay. I am sure that if Netanyahu wants, he will do it. I am sure that he can find a creative solution to prevent the leakage of weapons from Egypt to Gaza, even without the physical presence of the IDF on the ground. The question is whether he actually wants to see a deal or if he has other political considerations. My feeling is that his political motivations will outweigh the consideration of completing a deal.”
In conclusion, Issacharoff said, “In the end, the prime minister has to make a very difficult decision as to whether he is going to carry through with a hostage deal or keep his coalition both among the people who are involved in the talk, and among the people who come from the opposite political camp. They say that Netanyahu won’t agree to a deal. In the end, his political consideration will prevail here.”
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