The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talk of "total victory" coincides with a propaganda campaign he is leading against the families of prisoners, describing him as the worst official in Israel's history.

The newspaper added in an analytical article by writer Yossi Verter that while officials are working “seriously” on the issue of the prisoner release deal, the Prime Minister is undermining the process to please his extreme right-wing base, to the point that when you ask those close to Netanyahu what he wants from the negotiations, they answer, “We do not know what.”

The article described Benjamin Netanyahu as the "worst leader" in the history of Israel and one of the worst leaders in the history of all nations, highlighting that the issue of negotiations to release prisoners highlighted his experience in directing the positions of supporters.

No idea

The writer mentioned that this week he asked some people involved in communications regarding the prisoner deal what Netanyahu wanted, and their answer was all, “We have no idea.”

He also asked them: Is the strict image in which the Prime Minister appears and presents his positions intended to help move forward towards an agreement or to ensure that an agreement is not reached? They repeated the same answer, “We have no idea.”

The writer explained that if this deception had been practiced against the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas,” it would have been “reasonable,” but it is clear that Netanyahu is hiding his intention from his senior partners, including the two ministers in the war council, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who saved him by allying with him, and now he is... Working behind their backs.

He added that those close to Gantz and Eisenkot - in private meetings - strongly criticize Netanyahu, and one of them was quoted as saying that instead of maintaining secrecy regarding the talks to release Israeli prisoners, he opens up about it during press conferences, and even the Egyptians, who play an important role in the talks. They are subjected to insults from Smotrich, an ally of Netanyahu.

Election campaign

Yossi said that the prime minister "acts like a politician conducting election campaigns, and not like a statesman seeking the public good." What matters to him is preserving his 64-seat bloc, while hundreds of soldiers risk their lives in order to release a hostage or two, he said. 

He revealed that he asked a member of the National Unity Party about the reason for Gantz staying with Netanyahu, and he replied that leaving now means letting him drive the ship however he wanted, noting that major issues have not yet been resolved, including the prisoner deal and the issue of Rafah and the northern Gaza Strip.

Gantz and Eisenkot confirmed that they will leave the government if Netanyahu rejects - for political reasons - the prisoner deal that prominent security leaders advise accepting if it agrees with the broad lines they recommended.

Yossi Verter quoted a source familiar with the talks as saying, “Things are going well,” and added that Netanyahu is so afraid of his partners that he has not issued a statement on the progress made in the talks.

Source: Haaretz