Philadelphi Corridor With Egypt Has Become Netanyahu’s Stalingrad, as Pressure From White House Builds for Him To Bow to Hamas’s Demands

Prime Minister Netanyahu, facing a growing tide of Israeli and world opposition — including from America and Arab allies — is adamant on maintaining control of a tract of land that has become a symbol of the Gaza war’s end game. “Hamas must be demilitarized, and it can only be demilitarized if the Philadelphi Corridor remains under firm control, and is not a supply line for armaments and for terror equipment,” Mr. Netanyahu said Wednesday during an English-language press conference. After accusing Hamas of rejecting a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House is now blaming Mr. Natanyahu for undermining it. President al-Sisi of Egypt is on a rare visit to Hamas-allied Turkey, where he is making clear that Cairo would not accept Israeli presence on its border with Gaza.In a Wednesday statement, Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, are expressing support for Egypt, and also demanding an end to the war. Mr. Netanyahu insisted Wednesday that controlling Gaza’s border with Egypt would hasten the release of hostages. If Israel leaves, he said, hostages could be smuggled out and “end up in Iran, or Yemen, or whenever,” adding, “I think that’s clear to most Israelis, to all Israelis.”As he spoke, though, hundreds of protesters clashed with police at Tel Aviv for a third day in a row, following the news Sunday of Hamas’s execution of six hostages in Gaza tunnels. They demanded of Mr. Netanyahu that he ink a war-ending deal and secure the release of 101 remaining hostages, dozens of whom are presumed alive. A poll issued by the center-left Madad group, though, indicates that a plurality of Israelis side with Mr. Netanyahu. On Sunday 49 percent of surveyed Israelis agreed that “Israel must not give up control of the Philadelphi corridor as part of a hostage deal,” while 43 percent supported giving up the corridor for a deal.Mr. Netanyahu’s stance, however, is opposed by powerful voices, including many in the security establishment. “The hostages must be returned, even at a very heavy price,” a top political opponent of Mr. Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, told reporters Tuesday. He agreed that returning to the corridor is a must, but only after hostages are released in a deal. Mr. Netanayhu counters that if Israel leaves Philadelphi, tremendous international pressure would render a return there nearly impossible. “If he is not strong enough to withstand the international pressure, let him put the keys down and go home,” Mr. Gantz said. Yet, Mr. Netanyahu, for now, adamantly resists demands to end the war before the demise of Hamas and its leader, Yehya Sinwar. The Philadelphi Corridor has become his Stalingrad. In his press conference, Mr. Netanyahu noted that for months — including as late as last week — American officials, from Secretary Blinken on down, publicly said that Israel has made “generous” compromises and agreed to deal proposals that Hamas rejected. “What has changed,” Mr. Netanyahu said, is “that they murdered six of our hostages in cold blood.” Now there is a world-wide pressure on Israel to concede more. The message such pressure sends to Hamas, he added, is “murder more hostages, you’ll get more concessions.”The White House is now saying that by insisting on control of the Philadelphi Corridor, Mr. Netanyahu is reneging on commitments he had already made in negotiations over a hostage deal. Those include deal principles Mr. Netanyahu proposed back in May, which was before the Israel Defense Force captured Rafah and the border with Egypt. “The deal says that they have to remove the IDF from all densely populated areas in phase one,” the National Security Council’s spokesman, John Kirby, told reporters Tuesday. “That includes densely populated areas around, or are adjacent to, the Philadelphia Corridor where it intersects with those densely populated areas.”The Philadelphi Corridor, though, is far from “densely populated,” mostly consisting instead of border fences and watchtowers on dirt roads. Dozens of deeply dug tunnels under it have long been used to smuggle arms, troops, vehicles, and cash. Those bolstered Hamas and ultimately enabled it to execute the October 7 assault, Mr. Netanyahu said Wednesday. Israelis say Egyptian officials, including some at the highest level of government, have either turned a blind eye or profited from goods smuggling into Gaza. President Biden is telling reporters that he remains hopeful for a deal. Rather than talking to Mr. Netanyahu, though, he is consulting with Emir al-Thani of Qatar and with Mr. Sisi. As of yet, Washington has declined to use its leverage over these countries, which have much sway over Hamas, choosing to pressure Mr. Netanyahu instead.

Philadelphi Corridor With Egypt Has Become Netanyahu’s Stalingrad, as Pressure From White House Builds for Him To Bow to Hamas’s Demands

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