On July 4, 1976, a group of Israeli special forces soldiers ended the hostage taking by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, following the hijacking of an Air France plane a week earlier. At the airport of Entebbe, the former capital of Uganda, the operation resulted in almost everyone returning home: three passengers and an operation commander were killed. The soldier, Yonatan Netanyahu, was the older brother of the current Israeli prime minister, and has been under pressure for weeks from the families of the 240 hostages to achieve their freedom. CNN tells CNN that Benjamin Netanyahu last week held the arm of US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, and as he asked President Biden to speak to the Emir of Qatar to finalize terms, he said: ‘ We need this agreement. “
The first hostages were due to be handed over to the Red Cross this Thursday after Israel’s unity government agreed to the deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, but that will no longer happen. The four-day ceasefire was due to start at 10am local time, two hours less in Lisbon, but was postponed until tomorrow, Friday.
The intention is to release 50 prisoners, women and children, in phases. Conversely, three Palestinian prisoners will be released for every hostage. Tel Aviv published a list of 300 prisoners (33 women, 123 minors and 144 young men), indicating that it is ready to extend the pause as stipulated in the agreement so that Hamas can release more people. Israel has said it is willing to grant an additional day of unarmed weapons, up to a maximum of 10 days, for every 10 people returned. According to Israel’s Channel 12, the agreement stipulates that the mothers and their children to be released will leave at the same time. The border crossing to be used – and where an Israeli soldier will be present to confirm each person’s identity – has not been disclosed.
A third disagrees
The agreement, approved by ministers the night before, was the subject of a complaint by an association supporting the families of victims of terrorism, Almagor, which questioned the legitimacy of the government and the equality of the hostages. However, the Supreme Court rejected the measure and confirmed that it is up to the executive branch to deal with the issue.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, spearhead of the extreme right in the government – but outside the war cabinet – also expressed his opposition to the path of diplomacy. “The rumors are that the State of Israel is going to make another very, very big mistake, in the style of the Shalit Treaty,” he said, referring to the release of soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 prisoners. “Remember, we released Gilad Shalit, and we allowed that to happen [Yahya] Sinwar [líder do Hamas] and his friends and we created this problem for ourselves,” Ben Gvir said.
Like Ben Gvir, a third of Israelis opposed the country holding negotiations with the terrorist organization in early November, but polls for the Israel Democracy Institute show popular support for the negotiations grew from 45% in three weeks to 59%.
The pressure campaign by the hostages’ families, most visible last week during the five-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, also helped change the attitudes of many Israelis. “It is not that Netanyahu led the country to this agreement,” political analyst and former Netanyahu chief of staff Aviv Bushinsky told the The Washington Post. “Netanyahu was led into this deal. Knowing Netanyahu, he would rather not make the deal and crush Hamas and put an end to it.”
After the break, the war
Speaking to journalists, Netanyahu reiterated that the release of the hostages is a “sacred mission” and that the pause is exactly that. “I want to be clear. The war continues. We will continue until we achieve all our objectives,” he assured, after relisting them: the elimination of Hamas, the return of all those kidnapped and the guarantee that the Gaza Strip will not pose a threat to Israel. However, Netanyahu added a nuance to the speech and emphasized the good results of the combination of military and diplomatic pressure.
Despite not being part of the negotiations – and not declaring war on Israel but having been involved in skirmishes, the most recent of which involved ballistic missiles – the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah has announced that it is also joining the four-day truce will keep. . The announcement coincided with the arrival in Beirut of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the main sponsor of the group considered terrorist by the European Union and the United States. Speaking to Al Mayadeen channel, the head of Iranian diplomacy said that if the ceasefire is not extended, the war will eventually spread across the Middle East.
Yet Benny Gantz, Minister of War, warned Hezbollah. “What is happening now in northern Gaza could also happen in southern Lebanon and Beirut,” the general said. Gantz also left a message for Tehran, saying that the Israelis know how to respond to their attackers, as well as to those who give orders in this regard. “No damage to Israel’s sovereignty will go unanswered,” he assured.
Comments
“The doubts are understandable, painful and difficult, but in the current circumstances I support the decision of the Prime Minister and the government to facilitate the release of the hostages.”
Isaac Herzog
President of Israel
“President Abbas welcomes the humanitarian ceasefire, appreciates the efforts of Qatar and Egypt and reaffirms the call for a complete cessation of Israeli aggression.”
Hussein al-Sheikh
Secretary General of the PLO
“I welcome the fact that these brave souls, who endured an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this agreement is fully implemented.”Joe Biden
President of the USA
“It is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done. The UN will mobilize all resources to achieve and increase the positive impact on the humanitarian situation.”
Antonio Guterres
Secretary General of the UN
“The humanitarian pause must be used to provide as much urgent assistance as possible to civilians suffering from the devastating war in Gaza. The EU will do its part to provide assistance.”
Joseph Borrell
Alro EU Representative for Foreign Affairs
“I hope this step will lead to a lasting ceasefire and peace. We are ready to take on responsibilities together with other countries in the new security architecture that needs to be created.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President of Turkey
“This is not enough to end the suffering of citizens. I reiterate that those still in captivity must receive all necessary medical care.”
Tedros Ghebreyesus
“The humanitarian pause must be used to provide as much urgent assistance as possible to civilians suffering from the devastating war in Gaza. The EU will do its part to provide assistance.”
Pope Francis
Source: DN
