On video: the meeting of the War Cabinet 08.02.24/
Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the meeting of the political-security cabinet yesterday (Thursday) that the decision to send a delegation to the talks in Paris was intended to give an opportunity for negotiations on a deal to release the abductees. "We will listen to the other side and see if there is anything to talk about," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said the following After Minister Ben-Gvir expressed opposition during the meeting to the departure of the delegation for talks in Paris and Minister Smotrich said he was afraid that the hostage deal would now lead to an end to the war and prevent the disbandment of Hamas
. Nitzan Alon and reserve lieutenant colonel Oren Seter have been holding talks in Paris with the Prime Minister of Qatar, the head of the CIA and the head of Egyptian intelligence in an attempt to reach a new outline for a deal for the release of the abductees in the Gaza Strip.
"We will listen to the other side."
Benjamin Netanyahu/Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel
Yesterday, the War Cabinet approved the departure of the Israeli negotiating team, which includes the head of the Mossad, Dedi Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet, Ronan Bar, and Major General Nitzan Alon, for talks in Paris regarding the release of the abductees.
President Biden's senior advisor Brett McGurk said yesterday in his talks in Israel that progress was made in the negotiations between the Qatari and Egyptian mediators and Hamas regarding a possible hostage deal, and therefore it is important that Israel send a delegation to the talks in Paris and conduct serious negotiations - according to three sources who are aware of the details.
The War Cabinet made the decision to send the delegation under heavy American pressure as well as internal pressure from Ministers Gallant, Gantz and Eisenkot who believed that the negotiating team should be sent to the talks and even given a mandate to conduct serious negotiations.
An Israeli senior official said that "the war cabinet approved the departure of the negotiating team to Paris and gave the team members a reasonable mandate to conduct negotiations and not just listen."
More on the same topic:
Gaza war
War of Iron Swords
abducted