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Netanyahu digs in amid US optimism that a truce could be near

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Netanyahu digs in amid US optimism that a truce could be near

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is standing firm on its demands for security in ongoing hostage negotiations days after talks in Qatar prompted optimism that a deal was near.

Netanyahu, speaking at a weekly Cabinet meeting, appeared to be curbing heightened global expectations of a major breakthrough. Mediators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar had expressed optimism after two days of talks in Doha last week.

“We are negotiating, not giving and giving,” Netanyahu said in a social media post.

The Biden administration is trying to bridge gaps between Israeli and Hamas on the flow of aid through border crossings and the number and identity of Israeli hostages and security prisoners that would be freed. On Friday, President Joe Biden said the parties were “closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement. A senior Hamas official, however, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity said there had been no progress.

Netanyahu has consistently demanded that the remnants of the battered Hamas militant group play no role in the future of Gaza, a demand Hamas has oft-rejected. Any movement by Netanyahu away from that stand would jeopardize his fragile alliance with Israel’s far-right and could threaten his hold on the prime minister’s office.

Developments:

∎ Netanyahu blamed Hamas for refusing to negotiate, noting that it did not send a representative to Doha. International pressure for a deal should be directed at Hamas, not at the Israeli government, he said.

∎ The prime minister warned Iran and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which have pledged to respond to recent assassinations in Tehran and Beirut, that Israel is prepared for every threat and will “extract a very heavy price from any enemy that dares to attack us.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Israel on Sunday armed with a “bridging proposal” aimed at establishing a cease-fire in Gaza, securing the release of all hostages, ensuring humanitarian assistance is distributed throughout Gaza and creating the conditions for broader regional stability. 

The Times of Israel, citing officials it said was familiar with the talks, said the proposal does not provide for an ongoing Israeli presence along the Gaza-Egypt border or a path to fully preventing the return of armed Hamas forces in Gaza, two key issues Netanyahu has demanded. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Hamas has told negotiators it would not agree to a deal that includes those demands.

Blinken also will underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the ability to finalize an agreement, his office said in a statement.

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