Amid massive protests across Israel, Netanyahu rejects calls to reach cease-fire deal

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would not join cease-fire talks over his demand that Israel remain in control of Gaza’s border with Egypt. He spoke after thousands of workers walked off their jobs following a night of protests over his failure to reach a deal for the release of hostages. John Yang discussed more with Yohanan Plesner of the Israel Democracy Institute.
John Yang:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that he would not join in cease-fire talks over his demand that Israel remain in control of Gaza’s border with Egypt.
He spoke after thousands of workers across Israel walked off their jobs following a night of protests over Netanyahu’s failure to negotiate a deal for the release of those held in Gaza, all this after the recovery of the bodies of six more hostages.
Across Israel overnight, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in the biggest protests since the war began almost 11 months ago. In Tel Aviv, police and protesters clashed. Nationwide, some two dozen people were arrested. Today, protesters blocked a main road in the city, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a deal to return the 100 or so Israeli hostages still in Gaza.
Idit Teperson, Protester:
I think we have a criminal government, a criminal government who lets the hostages be murdered only for the sake of the coalition. And we have a prime minister who doesn’t think of the good of a country, but only of his own good.
John Yang:
A general strike disrupted flights at Israel’s international airport, and some hospitals were only partially operating.
In Jerusalem, Israelis lined the streets for the funeral procession of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. He was among the six hostages recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza over the weekend. Today, Netanyahu said Hamas would pay a heavy price for their deaths. At the funeral, Goldberg-Polin’s mother, Rachel, mourned her son.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin: For 23 years, I was privileged to have the most stunning honor, to be Hersh’s mama. I will take it and say thank you. I just wish it had been for longer.
John Yang:
At the White House, President Biden added to the pressure on Netanyahu.
Question:
Mr. President, do you think it’s time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue? Do you think he’s doing enough?
Joe Biden, President of the United States: No.
John Yang:
In Gaza, a polio vaccination campaign continued. Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting in select areas until Tuesday. The goal is to vaccinate more than 600,000 children.
Mohammed Rajab, Palestinian in Gaza (through interpreter): In these conditions we live in, with the diseases spreading among children, vaccination is now very important to protect our children. God willing, in these days of war, peace will prevail for everyone.
John Yang:
And in the West Bank city of Jenin, an Israeli military operation continued, the fifth day of heavy fighting. So far, at least 20 Palestinians have been killed.
At the White House today, President Biden said the United States will hold Hamas leaders accountable for American Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s death. He also met with the U.S. team trying to reach an agreement that would free the remaining hostages.
Yohanan Plesner is president of the Israel Democracy Institute. He is a former aide to both Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Plesner, give us a sense of what the mood is like in Israel today. You have had a tumultuous 36 hours.
Yohanan Plesner, President, Israel Democracy Institute:
Yes, it’s a very emotional period.
The fact that six of our hostages have been murdered in cold blood and just 24 hours before the IDF soldiers have actually reached them was received as a major blow for — I think for all Israelis. And the protests that erupted have reflected that.
Now, we have to understand it’s — we have to be able to hold two complex thoughts at the same time. On the one hand, we’re dealing with a murderous Hamas jihadist regime that wanted and continues to desire to annihilate our state and to execute our hostages.
And they haven’t said yes to any deal, to any mediation, to any of the parameters. So, Israelis are, in this respect, united behind the war goals of dismantling Hamas and bringing back the hostages. At the same time, a growing number of Israelis, perhaps a majority of Israelis, do not trust the way the prime minister is conducting and carrying out this war and operation, and specifically the attempt to bring back the hostages.
And the protests yesterday are a reflection of this distrust in the way the prime minister is leading the negotiation.
John Yang:
Well, that distrust you talk about, you worked for Mr. Netanyahu.
What do you think his thinking is right now about this — getting the hostages back?
Yohanan Plesner:
Well, the prime minister basically conveyed to the Israeli public the message that only increased military pressure will bring back the hostages.
Now, on the one hand, increasing the military pressure puts obviously pressure on Hamas and its leadership and produces a positive outcome. But it also has costs. It also puts our hostages in danger. And what we have seen now is the fact that our hostages were murdered was to some extent as a result of the fact that we put pressure.
So this formula is not that simple as it sounds. But I think a more complex element is the fact that many Israelis think that Mr. Netanyahu is managing this negotiation in bad faith, that alongside the interest of bringing back the hostages and dismantling Hamas, there’s also other additional political interests, like keeping together his coalition and that it costs with hostages their lives.
And this distrust, I would say, was augmented by the fact that, at least what we heard from leaks from what’s happening within the room, within the discussion, within the discussions, is that the leaders of the defense establishment think that Israel — there’s additional wiggle room for Israeli compromises that might bring about a deal and that Netanyahu insists on not making those compromises.
And it’s unclear whether there’s strictly a security consideration or other more political considerations involved.
John Yang:
This growing distrust, does it present a challenge or a threat to Mr. Netanyahu and his government?
Yohanan Plesner:
Not necessarily, because we have seen tonight Mr. Netanyahu presenting his case and positioning it strictly as a security argument about the merit of holding on to the border between Gaza and Egypt.
And as long as it’s wrapped or positioned as a security — argument around security interests, I think it’s a relatively comfortable position for the prime minister.
John Yang:
The prime minister tonight said that the containing that containing that — or maintaining presence on that border, what they call the Philadelphi Corridor, is the only way to keep Israel safe against weapons being smuggled in from Egypt.
Does his defense establishment agree with him?
Yohanan Plesner:
No, not necessarily. We actually heard the chief of staff of the IDF say that Israel can also give up on its — on holding onto this corridor temporarily or think of other arrangements, for example, if we get security guarantees from the United States and the Egyptians.
And one has to see it in a broader context. This is a whole issue of risk management. There are the lives of the hostages. There’s what’s happening in the northern border. There’s the interest in building and stabilizing a strong coalition against Iran that is trying to dominate the region and to deploy and activate its proxies against Israel, against U.S. interests, against the interests of the moderate countries in the region.
So there’s a much broader picture than just narrowing and reducing it down to a dispute around one axis. So I think to reduce the whole debate into what’s going to happen in this five-kilometer strip is less about security interests and more about talking to one’s own political base.
So, again, Israel’s war goals are just. We are fighting against an evil enemy, Hamas, that wants to annihilate us. And at the same time, the fact that we have a just war does not mean necessarily that the prime minister is executing it in an optimal manner, not vis-a-vis our own national interests and not vis-a-vis the interests of some of our allies.
John Yang:
Yohanan Plesner, thank you very much.
Yohanan Plesner:
Thanks for having me.