Families of US captives in Gaza ‘profoundly disappointed’ by Netanyahu speech
In a joint statement, the families of the eight US captives in Gaza said Netanyahu’s failure to guarantee in his speech to Congress that the captives would be coming home was “profoundly” disappointing.
The families said the Israeli leader had “failed to present any new solutions or a new path forward”.
Netanyahu has “failed to commit to the hostage deal that is now on the table even though Israel’s senior defence and intelligence officials have called on him to do so”, the families said.
They called on Netanyahu to get the deal done “before it is too late”.
An anti-Netanyahu protester holds a sign outside the US embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday, ahead of the Israeli prime minister’s address to the US Congress in Washington, DC
Israel postponed ceasefire talks again already for at least another week.
Israeli captives’ families decry ‘crisis of trust’ with government
The families of those still held in the Gaza Strip are demanding an urgent meeting with the Israeli negotiating team that is expected to depart for Cairo for more talks soon.
They said in a statement that the prime minister has not responded to their inquiries about a ceasefire-and-exchange deal for two weeks.
“This foot-dragging is a deliberate sabotage of the chance to bring our loved ones back. It effectively undermines the negotiations and indicates a serious moral failure,” they said about the delay in sending negotiators for advanced talks.
The families of the hostages are demanding an urgent meeting with the negotiation team this morning, stating: "A crisis of trust has emerged that requires clarification."
For two weeks, the Prime Minister has refrained from responding to the mediators' inquiries regarding the… pic.twitter.com/ok28bZ6yKZ
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) July 25, 2024
Netanyahu visit aimed at sustaining war: Expert
Netanyahu was in the US not to end the war on Gaza, but to sustain it, according to Marc Owen Jones, associate professor of Middle East at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
“He was essentially there to ask for more weapons to conduct what has now been determined as a plausible genocide to cheering Republicans,” he told Al Jazeera.
He said he was struck by the emphatic clapping and applause from Republicans while protests were ongoing outside.
“More anti-Netanyahu protesters were arrested in the US than they were in Israel. That to me is indicative of the nature of this toxic relationship between the US and Israel,” Jones said.
The expert said it was “outrageous” that Netanyahu used the issue of the captives still held in Gaza during his speech, because he has been a main obstacle in their return. “Netanyahu was there not for Israelis, he was there to serve Republican Americans to get more weapons to continue a war that many Israelis don’t even want.”
Jones said Biden is a “lame-duck president” at the moment and Netanyahu knows that. The Israeli PM, he believes, would more readily welcome another Donald Trump presidency because that would allow him to continue the war.
‘It was depressing’: Gaza resident disappointed with Netanyahu’s US address
The Israeli prime minister’s speech at the US Congress has disappointed many displaced Palestinians who hoped for a clearer signal of an imminent end to the war in Gaza.
“It was depressing, he didn’t even mention ceasefire at all, not even once,” said Tamer al-Burai, a resident of Gaza City, now displaced in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
“People awaited some surprise, a ceasefire announcement by Netanyahu as a gift to [US President Joe] Biden, but they slept with much disappointment, as Netanyahu said he was determined to pursue war,” Burai told Reuters via a chat app.
