Coalition Source: Netanyahu Decided Against Hostage Deal Weeks Ago, and Found Philadelphi to Be an Effective Spin
Like a true dictator, the prime minister is playing with the hostages' lives. Ministers and MKs, some of whom make strong statements in support of a deal, still stand by and do nothing to save the hostages
Ravit Hecht
"Benjamin Netanyahu decided some weeks ago that he does not want a deal, and when it became possible, he got nervous and did all he could to torpedo it. He figured out that by using the Philadelphi corridor, he could also draw the sane right to his side, and win some points with this group.
"The media fell for this spin and is consumed all day long with the question of yes or no to the Philadelphi, when the real question is really the fate of the hostages versus the fate of the coalition."
These words do not come from opposition politicians or anti-government protesters, or even from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant – the only minister in the government who is fighting for the hostages' lives.
They come from a source in the coalition who is closely involved in and a part of the government.
These words reflect one of the darkest chapters, possibly the darkest, in the history of Israeli leadership: Human lives quiver in the balance – and the prime minister, acting as an all-powerful dictator, permits himself to play with them according to what suits his personal benefit.
Ministers and MKs, who are well-aware of the political considerations guiding the prime minister, are not lifting a finger to save lives. In the ruling party, not a single minister is backing Gallant, and we shouldn't expect to see anyone do so in the near future.
There are ministers like Moshe Arbel, Gila Gamliel and Nir Barkat who speak out decisively in favor of a deal in the relevant forums. But as they see it, until the prime minister brings a decision to a vote at the cabinet table, no further action is required of them.
Netanyahu, of course, is not bringing any such decision to the cabinet, and since the dissolution of the war cabinet, he is the sole decision-maker.
The ultra-Orthodox factions also like the idea of the deal and occasionally speak out in support of it, but they are primarily focused on the things that really matter to them – issues like the draft law, the rabbis' law and funding for their yeshivas. The hostages are not at the top of their list.
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