Israel's mainstream media news channel 13 last night:

"A senior security official tells us that if we take the hostage deal now it could PREVENT a regional war.
It could solve everything.

Sadly, there is complete agreement about this by Israel's Security Forces:

Netanyahu… pic.twitter.com/5Yv8JoVte7

— We Are All Hostages (@AllHostages) August 4, 2024

It’s starting to look like the entire war effort in Israel, the entire Netanyahu agenda, is riding on the US presidential election.

With the number of high level officials in Israel now flipping out over the war effort and claiming that Netanyahu is insane and out of control, hellbent on destruction like a death metal song, it feels like US Jews have some chance of doing a real coup against Bibi.

Reuters:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing anger in Israel and abroad over his handling of talks on a Gaza ceasefire that have faltered, just as fears have grown that the crisis could spiral into war with Iran, three Israeli officials said.

Divisions between Netanyahu and the defence establishment over a deal, which could help defuse the escalating crisis that risks engulfing the Middle East, have also surfaced in public remarks and behind closed doors, in angry exchanges leaked on Saturday to the Israeli press.

Well, he assassinated the main negotiator for Hamas in about the most extreme and incendiary way possible.

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say the negotiations are being purposefully torpedoed when the negotiator is assassinated and Bibi is saying there will never be negotiations.

The entire context of the media discussion of negotiations is confusing, given that the official policy of the Israeli state is that they are opposed to negotiations on principle.

Over the past four weeks three Israeli officials, one on the negotiating team and two with close knowledge of the talks, have voiced concern that politics was undermining the chances of a deal.

“The feeling is that the prime minister is avoiding making a decision about the deal and is not pushing for it full force,” one of the officials told Reuters on Sunday.

Sign the deal.

Stop letting Netanyahu sabotage it. https://t.co/gBdstU3QFY

— We Are All Hostages (@AllHostages) August 4, 2024

Tensions between Netanyahu – who insists he is safeguarding Israel’s security – and some in his negotiating team were laid bare in his public remarks on Sunday.

“I am prepared to go very far to release all of our hostages, while maintaining the security of Israel,” Netanyahu said in televised remarks at his cabinet meeting.

“Our commitment stands in complete contrast to the leaks and mendacious briefings on the issue of our hostages.”

To some extent, he is talking out of both sides of his mouth. Probably, he could just disband the negotiation team completely. He presumably has that power. But he let’s it remain as a favor to Joe Biden, basically, while constantly stating publicly that negotiations can never happen and assassinating the negotiator.

It’s a really weird dynamic.

Efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas had gained momentum over July but have since ground to a near halt after new terms were introduced to an agreed framework presented by Washington in May.

…

Netanyahu’s remarks came in response to a flurry of reports over the weekend. One, by N12 News, quoted U.S. President Joe Biden telling Netanyahu in their Thursday phone call to “stop bullshitting me” about advancing the talks.

Biden has a tough call with Netanyahu: "Stop bullshitting me and don't take me for granted."
— from @N12News. pic.twitter.com/ezXKDl0D9Q

— Mike (@Doranimated) August 3, 2024

A second N12 report cited Israeli security chiefs, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service Ronen Bar, casting doubt during a Wednesday meeting on Netanyahu’s commitment to a hostage deal.

Gallant, according to the report, told Netanyahu that the new terms he introduced have made a deal impossible. The Shin Bet declined to comment on closed-door discussions. Gallant’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Macgregor is right: Bibi is attempting to establish a total Israeli hegemon in the region.

'Netanyahu is determined to make use of his control over Washington…to establish permanent Israeli political hegemony over the region, to create greater Israel.'

-Col. @DougAMacgregor on the coming Iran