Tel Aviv, MINA – An Israeli opposition leader accused the government on Sunday of avoiding negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, stating that ending the war would be a “political disaster” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Anadolu Agency reported.
“Israel signed an agreement that was supposed to initiate negotiations for the second phase on the 16th day of the first phase. However, Israel has avoided these negotiations,” said Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party, in an interview with the Israeli daily Maariv.
“There is now a Jewish adviser in Washington named Steve Witkoff who is saying, ‘Let’s see how we can get the train out of the mud,’” he said, referring to the U.S. envoy for the Middle East.
“Witkoff proposed some sort of outline, but Hamas is expected to reject it,” he added.
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“Those who want to free the hostages need to understand a simple reality – we must achieve a long-term ceasefire and withdraw from most of Gaza,” Golan continued. The Israeli opposition leader accused Netanyahu of wanting the war to continue indefinitely.
“Netanyahu keeps looking for ways to keep all Israeli citizens under immense pressure and in a state of emergency because it serves his political needs,” he added.
Netanyahu “does not care about the number of soldiers killed or the lives of the hostages. None of that matters to him because his personal and political interests take priority over everything else.”
The first phase of the six-week ceasefire agreement, which took effect on January 19, officially ended at midnight on Saturday. However, Israel has not agreed to proceed with the second phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza.
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Netanyahu has sought to extend the initial exchange phase to secure the release of as many Israeli captives as possible without offering any concessions or fulfilling the military and humanitarian obligations of the agreement.
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has refused to proceed under these conditions, insisting that Israel comply with the ceasefire terms and immediately begin negotiations for the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a total end to the war.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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