Netanyahu sabotaging Saudi normalization, north truce: Israeli media
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Ben Caspit accuses Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the historic normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia and blamed the ongoing aggression in the north on his inability to conclude the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the state memorial for Ze'ev Jabotinsky, at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in al-Quds, Sunday, August 4, 2024 (AP)
Israeli media revealed on Friday that the scope of the war continues to expand as "Israel" is forced into battlefields across seven different axes, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands still, refusing to do what is right, i.e. sealing a ceasefire deal with the Resistance.
Maariv's political correspondent, Ben Capsit, claimed in an op-ed that Netanyahu was trying to escape his responsibility for the Israeli failure on October 7, in addition to his repeated attempts to get rid of his Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
He also noted that although the Gaza Envelope was shattered and the [occupied] North was up in flames, Netanyahu still refrains from establishing the deal.
Meanwhile, he further clarified that the problem lies with Netanyahu's inability to control the situation, who is being manipulated by his wife and son, on the one hand, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, on the other, reducing him to a "puppet".
Capsit said he did not know "what to fear more."
The Saudi agreement lies in the Gaza formula
Netanyahu faces a "historic choice", according to Ben Caspit, who then affirmed that confirmations from major sources within the US administration proved that the Saudi normalization deal was still on the table, adding that "it is not for nothing that the Americans announced that we've never been closer to a deal in Gaza."
According to Capsit, a ceasefire in Gaza will not only immediately secure the Saudi agreement but will also contribute to the formation of a regional coalition to counter Iran, spearheaded by the US and "Israel".
He also noted that a ceasefire would also end the battle in the occupied North against Hezbollah, with an agreement or without one.
In this context, he noted that Netanyahu acknowledges that in order to achieve normalization with Saudi Arabia, following the normalization with the governments of the Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and other countries, he must do something about the Palestinian case, and thus return to negotiations.
"Netanyahu is not afraid of a Palestinian state, he is afraid of the collapse of his government," Capsit said, explaining that this is the reason why he is gambling with the settlers' futures and security as he awaits Donald Trump.
Smotrich's anti-ceasefire rant
After the US, Qatar, and Egypt's call for a meeting to reach a deal, Bezalel Smotrich took to X to express his thoughts, slamming negotiations and mediators, claiming they were trying to "manipulate" the Israeli occupation into releasing Palestinian captives, whose freedom he claims does not equate to that of the Israeli captives.
"The 'mediators' actually wrote in their announcement yesterday that 'the time has come to conclude the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of the detainees and prisoners' while creating an illusory symmetry between the Israeli captives" and whom he called "despicable terrorists".
Smotrich audaciously stated that Israeli captives should be released, while Palestinian detainees should not, stressing that a ceasefire deal cannot be established.
He claimed that accepting a "dangerous" deal proposed by intermediaries would undermine "Israel's security and image," arguing that it would force "Israel" to surrender, weaken its deterrence, embolden Hezbollah and Iran, and alienate its allies in the Middle East.
He finally urged Netanyahu to resist any deviation from the established red lines, even if they were problematic.
