Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is remaining true to his goal of eradicating Hamas, even if this is not to everyone’s liking.
Over the weekend, Netanyahu announced that he would reject a hostage negotiation deal with Hamas. The deal, according to Netanyahu, would have returned all the Oct. 7 hostages to Israel in exchange for Israel committing to end the war.
In a statement, Netanyahu specified that this deal included “the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza” and “the release of all the murderers and rapists,” all while “leaving Hamas intact.” Netanyahu then said he rejected “outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas.”
The prime minister has been sticking to his guns regarding this goal despite mounting pressure from other nations and organizations.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, established by those related to the kidnapped victims, said a hostage deal should be considered. The organization asked Netanyahu to “clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers and others kidnapped in the October debacle.”
Relatives of the hostages also protested outside the Prime Minister’s residence calling for rescuing the remaining 136 who were taken. The tension eventually boiled over as relatives stormed into the Israeli parliament on Monday morning.
Western nations are also pushing Netanyahu to reconsider some type of hostage deal and appear to be growing more frustrated with his hardline approach. Senior Biden adviser Brett McGurk is reportedly traveling to the Middle East this week to engage in hostage negotiations alongside Egypt and Qatar.
The Biden administration is particularly focused on a post-war solution, however, and has consistently pushed for a two-state solution. This has become a point of tension between Biden and Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister wants to maintain a semblance of security control over Gaza following the destruction of Hamas.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), an ally of Biden, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that these sorts of disagreements are beginning to boil over.