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Netanyahu Asks Biden for ‘Reasonable Deal’ his Cabinet Could Approve

US President Joe Biden's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last October (AP)
US President Joe Biden's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last October (AP)
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Netanyahu Asks Biden for ‘Reasonable Deal’ his Cabinet Could Approve

US President Joe Biden's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last October (AP)
US President Joe Biden's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last October (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked US President Joe Biden not to believe the Israeli press, which he said had "falsely" accused him of not being interested in a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, according to political sources in Tel Aviv.

The Hebrew website Walla reported that Netanyahu confirmed during his call with Biden that he was interested in reaching an agreement but aimed for a reasonable deal that his cabinet could approve.

- Obstructing the Rafah operation

Walla's political reporter Barak Ravid said he relies on several Israeli and US officials for his sources and stressed that Biden seemed affected by the accusations against Netanyahu.

According to Ravid, Biden asked the Israeli PM to send a delegation to Cairo with serious efforts to ensure the success of the negotiations.

According to the report, Netanyahu responded that contrary to reports and interpretations in the Israeli media, he was very serious to make a deal, citing his willingness to release a Palestinian prisoner for every Israeli taken captive by Hamas.

The Israeli PM also suggested a one-day ceasefire for every single captive released, unlike the previous deal.

The prime minister emphasized to the president that he was ready to strike a hostage deal, even if that meant stopping the Israeli army’s operations, especially plans to enter Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Biden said that Hamas' demands were exaggerated.

- Israeli dispute

As for the negotiations, Israeli media reports stated that there are sharp disagreements within Israel, which are favoring war over a hostage deal.

Despite Netanyahu's statements to Biden and the families of Israeli detainees, he rejected a new draft presented to him a few hours before the Israeli delegation headed to Cairo for the talks.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) reported that the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the Israeli army have developed a new proposal regarding a prisoner exchange deal.

However, Netanyahu, Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Defense Minister Yoav Galant rejected it.

Kan 11 pointed out that the new proposal was prepared by the head of Mossad, David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and Maj-Gen reservist Nitzan Alon, commanding intelligence efforts to find the detainees.

The report stated that the proposal was brought "several times" for discussion with Netanyahu, the last of which was hours before the Israeli delegation headed to Cairo.

Kan 11 quoted a source that it said was familiar with the negotiations, saying that the new proposal includes several changes with a certain degree of flexibility, which paves the way for a breakthrough in the talks. The source refused to give further details.

The report stressed that Netanyahu refused the proposal and categorically rejected its presentation in the Cairo talks. He instructed the delegation to only "listen" during its participation in the negotiations.

Alon refused to go to Cairo after Netanyahu rejected the draft, and instead, the PM sent his military advisor.

Channel 13 reported "dramatic disagreements" in Israel regarding the new proposal.

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Netanyahu’s Move to Fire Security Agency Chief Threatens New Crisis in Israel

Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)
Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)
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Netanyahu’s Move to Fire Security Agency Chief Threatens New Crisis in Israel

Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)
Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to dismiss a top security official has threatened to plunge Israel back into deep political crisis, with opponents on Monday organizing protests and a former court president warning against the "dangerous" move.

Netanyahu on Sunday cited an "ongoing lack of trust" as the reason for moving to sack Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet internal security agency, following a similar bid by the government to oust the attorney general.

Bar, who has been engaged in a public spat with Netanyahu in recent weeks over reforms to the agency, suggested there were political motives behind the premier's decision to ask the government to dismiss him.

Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara -- the executive's top legal adviser who has often taken positions that clashed with those of Netanyahu's government -- said the move was "unprecedented" and its legality needed to be assessed.

Bar said it stemmed from his own refusal to meet Netanyahu's demands for "personal loyalty".

The agency led by Bar has been accused of failing to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

Several opposition parties have already announced they will jointly petition the High Court against Bar's dismissal, and the attorney general said in a letter to Netanyahu that he could not initiate the process "until the factual and legal foundation of your decision is fully clarified".

Baharav Miara is herself under threat of a no-confidence motion submitted by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who has spearheaded efforts to reform the judiciary and curb the court's powers -- a plan that sparked major protests before coming to an abrupt halt with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

Levin has accused Baharav Miara, a fierce defendant of the judiciary's independence, of "inappropriate conduct" and cited "significant and prolonged disagreements between the government and the attorney general".

The proceeding against the two figures promise to be lengthy, risking a repeat of the 2023 protest movement that was one of the most significant in Israel's history and had deeply fractured the country.

- 'Blow to national security' -

The Kaplan Force, a liberal umbrella organization which led the fight against the judicial reform, on Monday announced rallies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv this week to protest the dismissal of the Shin Bet head.

The move to sack Bar, who has been involved in negotiations over the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, comes at a crucial time for the talks.

The truce has largely held since January 19 despite an impasse in efforts to extend it.

Since the Gaza war began, Netanyahu has dismissed his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, while several senior military officials have resigned including army chief Herzi Halevi.

Benny Gantz, an opposition figure who once served as defense minister under Netanyahu, said on X that "the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet is a direct blow to national security and a dismantling of unity within Israeli society, driven by political and personal considerations."

Former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch told Kan public radio that Netanyahu was leading "processes that are dangerous for society".

"We need to wake up, and to wake up in time," she said.

- 'Power-grab' -

For Netanyahu's allies, the move against Bar falls within the normal rights of the head of government.

"In what normal country is a special reason even needed to remove the head of an intelligence organization who is personally responsible for a massive intelligence failure that led to the greatest disaster in the history of Israel?" far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on Telegram.

Nahum Barnea, columnist for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, warned of the dangers stemming from the clash between Netanyahu and Bar.

"A prime minister who has lost his brakes will rule as he sees fit, and his failed government will follow in his wake," he wrote.

"It is gradually inching us closer to a form of civil war... in which there is no trust and a refusal to obey in security organizations".

For Amir Tibon, writing for the left-wing daily Haaretz, "Israeli democracy is now in grave danger".

"It's up to Israelis to decide if they'll accept Netanyahu's hostile power-grab -- and how far they will go to stop it".