Weekly Israel News Roundup May 3rd, 2024
Five things you need to know
Israel at War - Day 210
1. Still No Breakthrough in Ceasefire/Hostage Deal
US secretary of state Anthony Blinken visited Israel this week and met with PM Netanyahu and President Herzog, to expedite a ceasefire/hostage deal, to discuss aid efforts to Gaza and the expected Israeli offensive on Rafah.
Considering Hamas’ most recent response to the Egyptian proposal, which, according to Arab media outlets, does not include an explicit commitment by Israel not to return to Gaza, Blinken said that now, the only reason a cease-fire agreement wouldn't be achieved "is because of Hamas”. This message was echoed by US President Biden who wrote on the X social network that Hamas is "now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire, and relief for civilians in Gaza." In response to Blinken’s statement, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said in an interview to Reuters news agency, that Blinken is unfairly blaming Hamas for delays in reaching a truce.
Blinken also cautioned Israeli senior leaders, including PM Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant, and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz that an Israeli operation in Rafah at this time would seriously hamper the chances of reaching a hostage release deal, and that ths US cannot support a Rafah offensive without a clear humanitarian plan to protect the lives of Gazan civilians. He added that an Israeli offensive on Rafah would also impact U.S. efforts to promote normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Blinken was also prompted to comment on PM Netanyahu's statement that Israel would enter Rafah with or without a hostage release deal, to which Blinken responded: “people say things; let's focus on what they're doing."
Efforts to reach a ceasefire/hostage deal continue, and a Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo soon to continue negotiations. A statement issued by Hamas, following talks with Qatari and Egyptian senior officials, confirmed a "positive spirit in studying the cease-fire proposal".
While in Tel Aviv, Blinken met with family members of hostages who gathered outside his hotel, chanting “in Blinken we trust to bring them home to us”. Blinken told the families of the hostages that bringing their loved ones home “is at the heart of everything we’re trying to do”.
Hostages’ families and their supporters continue to protest and hold vigils as concerns over the collapse of hostage deal increase. In Tel Aviv, they blocked roads near the minitsry of security headquarters. The police detained a woman who threw rocks and eggs at the demonstrators.
2. Right Wing Parties Threaten to Leave the Government if Israel Doesn’t Attack Rafah
Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), led by national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Religious Zionists, led by finance minister Betzalel Smotritch, threaten to leave the government, and dismantle the coalition, if PM Netanyahu agrees to the hostage deal with Hamas, and avoids invading Rafah. Ben Gvir even shot a short video, while in the PM offices, in which he announced that he threatened Netanyahu.
On the other side of the political divide within the government, members of the government, Benny Ganz, and Gadi Eisenkot are putting a lot of pressure on PM Netanyahu to accept the deal with Hamas and release the 133 hostages that are still being held in captivity in Gaza since October 7th, even if that means postponing the military campaign in Rafah.
Rafah is the southern town in Gaza Strip, which Israel believes is the last bastion of Hamas senior leader, Yehye Sinwar, and where the 133 hostages are probably held. PM Netanyahu promised Israelis that the most important objective of the war is eliminating Hamas, and entering Rafah is supposed to serve this goal. On the other hand, Rafah is now the refuge of 1.2 million displaced Palestinians, and the US administration is openly against the IDF entering Rafah in force.
3. Minister Ben Gvir Lightly Injured in Car Accident After Driver Runs Red Light
The car accident occurred in the city of Ramleh, near Tel Aviv, where the minister of homeland security, Ben Gvir (Jewish Power), visited a crime scene, where a young woman was stabbed and severely wounded in a terror attack. The attacker, who was reported to be mentally unstable, was shot and killed at the scene by an armed citizen.
According to police reports and video footage from the scene, the minister’s car flipped over after running a red light and hitting another car, driven by a 23-year-old Ramleh resident. Following the accident, minister Ben Gvir was rushed to Hadassah hospital and was kept under observation there for 48 hours. His daughter, who was in the car with him, was slightly injured and was kept in the hospital overnight for observation. According to police reports, both the minister and his daughter were wearing their seatbelts.
The man that was hit by the minister’s car told the media that he entered the intersection on a green light, and Ben Gvir’s entourage entered on a red light. He added that he has no history of traffic infractions, and that he was still suffering from severe pain. The driver’s father told the media that his son’s evacuation from the scene took longer, since the first respondents attended to the minister and his entourage first, and that neither the minister nor his office reached out to inquire about his son’s condition.
Minister Ben Gvir told the media that he ordered his driver to rush through a red light, because he was “the most threatened minister” and because they were driving through a mixed Arab-Jewish city. According to unnamed senior security officials, both minister Ben Gvir and his driver at the time of the accident have a history of traffic infractions, including speeding, running red lights, and driving without seatbelts.
4. Growing Concern Over ICC’s Intent to Issue Arrest Warrants for Senior Israeli Politicians
Over the last two weeks, Israeli officials have grown increasingly concerned over the possibility that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague is preparing to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi.
PM Netanyahu said that such a decision and action by the ICC will constitute an “antisemitic hate crime”
According to foreign and local media, Israel is working through diplomatic channels to prevent the warrants from being issued. The ICC has not made a clear statement with regards to the warrants for high-ranking Israeli officials. An ICC source said that it “has an ongoing independent investigation in relation to the situation in the State of Palestine" and that "we have no further comment to make at this stage."
Two unnamed US and Israeli sources said that should the ICC move forward and issue arrest warrants, Israel will take retaliatory steps against the Palestinian Authority that could lead to its collapse.
5. Colombia Decided to Terminate Diplomatic Relations with Israel
President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, announced Wednesday that he decided to terminate diplomatic relations with Israel because Israel is genocidal, referring to the war in Gaza. This is the first state that has taken such an extreme step against Israel since October 7th. Israel faces a lot of criticism as a result of the huge toll in human lives in Gaza from the war, and the widespread destruction. South Africa has filed a suit in the International Court of Justice in the Hague which is waiting for a ruling. American ivy league universities decided to re-consider their academic and economic ties with Israel due to the huge wave of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations all over the country. Other cultural, art, and academic institutions around the world have preferred not to invite or collaborate with Israeli partners. The war in Gaza has take a growing toll on Israel credibility and status in the world.
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