While I think PM Netanyahu could be more flexible in his position on a potential hostage deal, and while I do think he is more concerned about politics and the survival of his coalition than achieving a hostage deal and the survival of the hostages, though I am sure he wants one, I am hesitant to blame Bibi for the lack of a deal.
No matter what Bibi might offer, no matter how much reasonable flexibility Bibi might show, Hamas will continue to reject it, and nobody seems to be able to pressure them to accept.
It is not Bibi's fault the hostage deals have not gone through. It is Hamas's fault.
Bibi could play the game better, knowing Hamas is rejecting everything anyway, he could at least make it look as if he cares about the hostages and as if he is willing to be flexible.
This nonsense of increased military pressure being the only option for getting the hostages back is hogwash. It has been more than ten months of increased military pressure and Hamas has not shown to be more flexible in its positions due to the pressure - no new hostages have been released in any deals because of the increased military pressure, and only small numbers of hostages have been located (dead or alive) and been brought home. Keep the pressure up, and even increase it, but the only way to get the hostages back is with a deal.
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I'm quite finished with people suggesting Bibi should be more flexible with Hamas. That if he's not, he doesn't care about the hostages.
ReplyDeleteRemember who he's negotiating with: a terrorist group. A viscious terrorist group that says that the minute they get a chance, they'll try to invade Israel again. A group that lies on a routine basis.
But Bibi's the fault there's no deal? It's because Bibi's not flexible enough?
Imagine a guy grabs your daughter and starts to rape her. He tells you that he'll stop if you give him all your credit cards and the key to your house. You say "Okay, I'll give you one of the cards and you can come on Sunday when I'm home and I'll let you in." He proceeds to attack your daughter and people look at you and says "Nu, just give him everything he wants already! Don't you care about your daughter?" That's the situation here.
I said it is Hamas's fault, not Bibi's. I still think Bibi can be more flexible. Israel has a responsibility to the hostages and to the ethos of Israel since forever to bring them home. There is a lot of room in between a hard stance and giving everything away. He is more afraid of his government falling for being flexible than he is for the fate of the hostages. That being said, even if he were to show flexibility it is still unlikely Hamas would agree.
DeleteBibi knows very well that if he shows flexibility, Hamas will refuse the deal and then start the next round assuming those extra offers from Israel are the new baseline. they love playing this game - bit by bit they get to where the Israel has offered 95% of what Hamas wants and the US says "Oh it's just 5% more. Give it to them already!"
DeleteThat's the one thing where Bibi actually does what's good for the state.
DeleteMaybe because this is where you have to sacrifice something (as terrible as this is) in order not to sacrifice a lot more.
Still he sacrificed the economy, the whole state, the police, the courts, the reservists, equality in front of the law, the territories in the north, basically everything to keep himself in power. And that's the problem with Bibi
Wow, anonymous, you're a real kool-aid drinker.
Delete