When will Netanyahu give in?

Netanyahu and his extremist government ministers, especially Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, continue to insist on continuing the chapters of the mass massacre in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, without the Israeli government paying any attention to the diplomatic initiatives and political movement that became very active this week, in order to establish a ceasefire in the Strip and Lebanon.

The leadership of the occupation army recommended in sessions to assess the situation that the Israeli political level move towards a diplomatic agreement with Lebanon to stop the war and end the ground operation, amidst the belief of the Israeli military apparatus that the war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is approaching its goals, and that it is better to conclude an agreement that includes a swap deal in Gaza, and that it is difficult for the army to remain longer in the areas it controls for fear of being exposed to more losses, and its involvement in the Lebanese front more amidst the conviction of the inability to achieve more than the current achievements according to the allegations if the war continues.

After discussing these recommendations with Netanyahu and the leaders of the extreme right, it became clear that the Israeli Prime Minister is still evasive and maneuvering. While he publicly declares his blessing for the initiatives calling for diplomatic agreements, behind the scenes and in closed sessions he rejects them. Israeli sources familiar with the negotiations warn that Netanyahu’s refusal to include the phrase “cessation of hostilities” in the proposed exchange deal could hinder the talks.

Diplomatic activity reaches its peak today, with expectations of the arrival of American officials in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Cairo, led by mediator Amos Hochstein, American special envoy Brett McGurk, and CIA Director William Burns. While the latter will be busy trying to formalize the Qatari initiative towards a swap deal and a ceasefire in Gaza for about a month, and turn it into a reality, Hochstein and McGurk will discuss the Lebanese file and the possibility of agreeing on a ceasefire for sixty days with Israeli conditions, which Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem was open to, but with the party’s conditions in his speech he gave yesterday afternoon, amidst the heavy shelling of Baalbek and the continued expulsion of citizens from southern Lebanon, while Hamas welcomed any initiative based on a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the end of the aggression, with the condition of rejecting partial solutions that allow Israel to resume the war.

Is the Israeli war really coming to an end? Will diplomatic efforts finally succeed in stopping the torrent of blood that Israel has shed, without any supervision or accountability, or will Netanyahu continue his rampage and rebellion against international legitimacy decisions to continue the war of extermination against our people and Lebanon?