By all appearances, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played Secretary of State Antony Blinken like a fiddle during his ninth trip to the region since last October 7. During a press conference before he left Doha yesterday, a reporter noted that the Israeli media quoted Netanyahu yesterday as having said that “Israel won’t leave the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor regardless of the pressure to do so.” Netanyahu was quoted saying, “These are strategic military and political assets. I told this to Blinken. Maybe I convinced him.”
Blinken replied: “I can’t speak to what he’s quoted as saying. I can just speak to what I heard from him directly yesterday when we spent three hours together, including, again, Israel’s endorsement of the bridging proposal and thus the—the detailed plan. And that plan, among other things, as I said, includes a very clear schedule and locations for withdrawals.”
Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, writing in Axios late Aug. 19, reported that Netanyahu’s “doublespeak,” as Ravid’s put it, extended to his own negotiating team. According to Ravid’s account, the negotiators briefed him on Aug. 18 that if he gave them more wiggle room, a deal might be possible. Netanyahu refused to budge and reprimanded them for “caving.” The negotiators—Mossad director David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Gen. Nitzan Alon—told Netanyahu they had been negotiating for months and a deal based on his current positions was not possible. But Netanyahu continued to argue that if Israel stands firm, Hamas will eventually cave.
Netanyahu endorsed the U.S. proposal—which incorporated several of his updated demands—knowing Hamas would reject it, senior Israeli officials told Axios.
Despite the optimism from Washington, the Egyptian and Qatari mediators who were providing updates to Hamas didn’t believe any real progress was being made, one Israeli official told Axios. “What matters is not whether Netanyahu is sending the negotiators, but if he gives them a wide enough mandate to get a deal,” an Israeli official said.
