Israel Delays Sending a Delegation to Qatar for Hostage Talks

An Israeli official said they wanted to wait until after Netanyahu meets with Biden at the White House

Israel has postponed the planned departure of a delegation to Qatar for negotiations on a potential ceasefire deal with Hamas, angering family members of Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza. The delegation was set to travel on Thursday but now won’t be sent until next week.

An Israeli official told Haaretz that a delegation would not be sent until at least after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with President Biden at the White House on Thursday.

Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, slammed Netanyahu for the delay. “Instead of proclaiming before Congress that he accepts the deal on the table, Netanyahu is stopping the deal from going ahead for personal reasons,” she said.

In his address to Congress, Netanyahu claimed he was working toward a hostage deal, but it’s been widely acknowledged by Israeli officials and media reports that he’s been the one standing in the way of an agreement. Zangauker said Netanyahu was afraid of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has threatened to quit the coalition government if a deal is reached with Hamas.

“It is unimaginable that even today, nine months after the failure, the life of his coalition is more important than the lives of Matan and the other hostages abandoned by him,” she said.

Once they do head to Qatar, the Israeli negotiators are expected to present a proposal that includes new demands from Netanyahu, which he has made public in recent weeks. After Hamas made a significant concession by agreeing to language Israel didn’t think would commit it to a permanent ceasefire, Netanyahu demanded Israel maintain control of the Gaza-Egypt border and screen Palestinians returning to north Gaza.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.