By Romana Rubeo 
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Monday that last July the Israeli government prepared a document aimed at sabotaging the negotiations with the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas.
The paper reported that last May, Hamas “surprisingly agreed” to most of the terms of an agreement proposed by Israel aimed at achieving a ceasefire and reaching a prisoner exchange deal.
“However, within a few weeks, a new document was drafted by Israel, officially labeled as containing ‘clarifications’ but, in reality, including changes that effectively sabotaged any chance of an agreement,” according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
“In the afternoon of Saturday, July 27, Israel completed a seven-page document in English” which was sent to the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, the three countries mediating between Israel and Hamas, according to the report.
The document was “submitted in its entirety” during a meeting in Rome by the head of Mossad, David Barnea, to top officials from these countries. It reportedly began with “two pages of text, not complete, followed by three pages of maps and two pages with tables”, including a list of some of the captives currently held in Gaza.
An unnamed Israeli senior official told Yedioth Ahronoth that “history will one day judge this document very harshly”.
“The names of four of them are listed in the appendix at the end of the document. If it weren’t for the deliberate sabotage contained in the document to prevent a deal – there is a good chance that they would have been released already a month ago and are here with us alive,” the official reportedly added.
The official reportedly said that the document “dipped in the blood of the six murdered abductees”.
Smotrich’s Role
The document was reportedly created after Hamas accepted most of Israel’s conditions from a draft agreement proposed on May 27.
“When the initial positive echoes reached Israel, and a day before Hamas submitted its response, Minister Bezalel Smotrich explained that Yahya Sinwar might respond positively to the proposal and claimed that this was a sign of weakness on his part,” the report said.
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Therefore, the Israeli prime minister’s office reportedly decided to define Hamas’ response as a “blatant refusal” even before it was received.
To the contrary, according to the report, “the Israeli intelligence community and senior members of the negotiation team actually thought that (Hamas’ response – PC) was a very positive development”.
‘Clarifications’
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that, when the prime minister’s office realized that a deal was within reach, they backtracked, sending Barnea to convey “clarifications” that effectively undermined the negotiations.
These changes, which included revising Israel’s stance on the Philadelphi Corridor and reopening discussions on previously agreed issues, were seen as deliberate attempts to sabotage the potential agreement.
“That’s actually where the saga that is now stalling the negotiations begins: the issue of the Philadelphia Route. In the original Israeli proposal, it was promised that the IDF would withdraw from the entire Strip,” the report stated.
According to the paper, in Israel, there was hope that pressures from both the negotiating team and US President Joe Biden “would lead to Netanyahu withdrawing from the additions.” These calculations turned out to be wrong.
US’ ‘Final Proposal’
The report seems to contradict the US stance that Israel had accepted the agreement and that Hamas was the party refusing to accept its terms.
According to the details provided, it was Israel that introduced significant changes to the agreement, described as “clarifications,” which effectively sabotaged the original terms that Hamas had largely agreed to.
On Monday, Biden expressed doubts about Netanyahu’s efforts to secure a deal. Responding to a reporter’s question as he arrived at the White House, Biden stated that he doesn’t believe Netanyahu is doing enough.
Following intense criticism of Netanyahu’s actions after the retrieval of the bodies of six captives on Sunday, reports indicate that Biden is now considering presenting a final proposal for a Gaza deal.
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The US-based news website Axios reported on Monday that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan informed the families of US citizens currently held in Gaza that Biden is considering presenting a final proposal to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
According to Axios, “Biden is going to meet with his national security team on Monday morning to determine the strategy for the final push regarding the deal, a source familiar with the issue said.”
Additionally, “Vice President Kamala Harris will join Biden during a meeting with the US hostage deal negotiating team on Monday, according to the White House schedule.”
The sources told Axios that “Biden’s top advisers also informed the families that the US might present an updated version of its bridging proposal to both Israel and Hamas in the coming days, giving the parties another week to respond with a definitive yes or no”.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
So usual for Israeli negotiations – they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. It seems to be their view of themselves.