The former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, said in an exclusive statement to Anadolu that the current war in Gaza has stopped the conclusion of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries.

Levanon, who held a number of diplomatic positions around the world, said: “I do not think that at the present time we are talking about any normalization, and we have to wait for the end of the war to see what is happening.”

He added: "At the present time, I do not think that anyone is talking about progress in the normalization process because there is a war, and there is a possibility that this war will continue, especially since we see what Hezbollah is doing in the north and we also see what Iran is doing."

Levanon stated that Israel is monitoring the demonstrations in Arab countries and takes people's positions into account, but he ruled out that they would lead to an Israeli decision to withdraw from the war.

He said: “We see the demonstrations taking place in the Arab countries, but I believe this will not affect Israel’s decision to defend itself,” as he put it.

He added: "We are not satisfied with what is happening and we do not want it, but the reality is that Hamas did what it did, which forced Israel to respond," he claimed.

He continued: "If your question is whether these demonstrations will lead Israel to retreat, my answer is no, even if we take what is happening (the demonstrations) into consideration."

Levanon denied that there was anyone in Israel talking about a state for the Palestinians of Gaza in Sinai, and said: “No one in Israel officially is talking about this matter, because this is not Israel’s policy.”

Levanon added: “We have a peace agreement with Egypt, and Sinai is part of Egyptian territory,” he said.

As part of its ongoing war on Gaza since October 7, the Israeli forces have called on the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate it and head to the south, in preparation for expanding its military campaign that aims to “eliminate Hamas,” according to what its officials say.

However, these demands were met with widespread international condemnation, and were described as forced displacement, “ethnic cleansing,” and the “second catastrophe” of the Palestinian people, and were accompanied by fears that their goal was to force the people of Gaza to move and resettle in the Sinai Peninsula.

Source: Anadolu