Are Peace Negotiations Purposely Being Sabotaged?

[PollieDarton]

I have followed this conflict from the very start and I am noticing a pattern that does appear to be developing. It does appear that every time there are ongoing negotiations for peace which are starting to move forward, Netanyahu often seems to sabotage them in one way or another. First by repeatedly moving goal posts for previous negotiations so that Hamas stop engaging in talks and now directly violating the sovereignty of the very nation that is working around the clock to broker peace talks between the two sides. The bombing in Doha does absolutely nothing to help progress negotiations for peace and I am genuinely starting to wonder if Netanyahu does not actually want peace talks to progress but just wants to win. Can anyone explain why this pattern seems to be developing, where every time talks seem to be getting anywhere Netanyahu always seems to throw a spanner in the works? Preferably without resorting to personal attacks please as I'm only just familiarising myself with this section and may have missed it if this has already have been discussed.

Thank you 🙏

Netanyahu has been charged with corruption but hadn't stood trial due to diplomatic immunity. Peace would mean an election he'd likely lose and he'd have to stand trial.

He has a vested interest in stopping peace talks.

Agree plus the extremists in his government who are propping him up to stay in power do not want a ceasefire.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-gvir-says-he-repeatedly-foiled-hostage-deals-urges-smotrich-to-help-him-stop-this-one/

I think the end game is taking all of the Palestinian territory, ethnically cleansing or eradicating Palestinians and peace before that will just get in the way.

It does seem that peace is intentionally being prevented. I suppose that leaves the question of what happens when it can no longer be put off anymore because it becomes too obvious Netanyahu doesn’t want peace?

He actually is on trial --- technically (escalations and "security situations" tend to happen whenever he's due to testify). But yes, conventional wisdom is that this may play a part.

I don't think this is quite the whole story, though. Both Netanyahu and many of his coalition partners are also simply ideologically committed to the idea of a greater Israel, i.e. including the occupied Palestinian territories.

Yes, Netanyahu in the past at times presented a more neoliberal centrist face (he is a master at political survival) --- but it's worth remembering that he grew up in a deeply revisionist Zionist (basically, the version of zionism that favours territorial maximalism and expansionism) and has voiced his desire to expand and expel the Palestinians for a long, long time.

The following is an extract from Max Hastings' book "Going to the Wars" about him meeting a young Netanyahu back in the 1970s (Hastings would have been writing a book about Netanyahu's deceased brother Yoni at the time, which Benjamin and his father Benzion sought to basically make a hagiography):

"At Bibi Netanyahu's dinner table in Jerusalem, I listened with crawling dismay to Bibi talking about the future of his country. 'In the next war, if we do it right we'll have a chance to get all the Arabs out,' he said. 'We can clear the West Bank, sort out Jerusalem. He joked about the Golani Brigade, the Israeli infantry force in which so many men were North African or Yemenite Jews. "They're okay as long as they're led by white officers.' He grinned." [note also: the casual racism / white supremacy; you can also read some of Hastings on meeting a young Netanyahu here for free: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/09/israel-middle-east-max-hastings]

Basically, to some extent they may also simply believe that they have a unique, historic opportunity and the momentum to realise long-held aspirations. Once the war stops, as they see it, that will vanish.

I have just watched 5 hours of 50 years of the Arab /Israeli conflict on BBC. It was fascinating and shows the history of the conflict right up until the 1990s , when Netanyahu first came to power. A peace deal was imminent, but not signed. He kiboshed it. With so many hardliners in Israel and among some Palestinians, I wonder if there will ever be peace. Absolutely worth a watch. Its on I player if you are interested.

Whereas "kiboshed" specifically means:

He spent the Oslo period inciting at rallies and marches against then PM Rabin - who, incidentally, was not a dove either. He famously gave the order to "break their bones" about stone throwers during the first intifada.

Most remembered now: back in 1995, Netanyahu led a mock funeral for Rabin, which prominently featured chants of "death to Rabin", a coffin, and a noose.

His now minister of national security, Ben-Gvir, then a teenage extremist, was on film brandishing the Mercedes star snatched off Rabin's car, proclaiming "we got to his car, we will get to him".

Shortly afterwards, a far right extremist assassinated Rabin. His widow refused to have Netanyahu at his funeral.

This should have been career ending for Netanyahu. But it wasn't. In 1996, barely a year later, he was elected PM for the first time - and he has been for most of the time (with a few interruptions) ever since.

I think Netanyahu may well be sabotaging peace deals.

I cant let any thread like this go by without also mentioning the Jerusalem bus shooting by Hamas- also sabotaging any possible peace.

The massive problem is that Hamas not only took innocent civilian hostages but then mistreated them horribly.

The way fat and wealthy looking Hamas terrorists came out in brand new Jeeps during the first cease fire and further humiliated the hostages put them beyond the pale.

Hamas still want to gain an advantage from 7/10, which Israel is never going to allow. And, meanwhile, racist opportunists in Israel (Ben G’vir, Smotrich et al) see this as an opportunity to occupy Gaza and expel the population, and they are now supported by Trump.

So negotiations are never going to go anywhere, as Hamas aren’t going to surrender and Israel won’t accept anything else.

Interesting...thanks for that. It only went up to the assassination and didn't really focus much on Netenyahu at all ( it was made in 1998). I'm going to see what other documentaries I can watch.

Quite frightening really isn't it?