Haggi Matar: Israeli Journalist on the Israeli response to the Gaza peace plan

The next phase of the Gaza peace talks could test Benjamin Netanyahu's loyalty.  

His Government's voting today on approving the first phase of a ceasefire plan, agreed with Hamas.  

It involves Israeli troops retreating to agreed lines, a cessation of fighting, and the release of hostages.  

Israeli journalist Haggi Matar told Mike Hosking the Israeli Prime Minister has effectively promised his base he'll continue the war and eradicate Hamas.  

He says it's pretty certain that's not what Qatar and the Trump administration are after, so hopefully they will continue to press both sides to agree. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So face one of the past deal in the Middle

(00:01):
East looks on Israel looks sitt to ratify today, hostages
data or alive, will be returned, prisoners released. I to
fly the American seam bullish.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Suffice it to say design exaggeration, that none of it
wouldn't impossible without the President of the United States being involved.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Question, and then, of course, is what happens next. Tigi
Manto is journalist executive director of Plus nine seventy two
magazine in Israel, is back with us morning. How would
you describe the level of hope and expectation.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
It's unfathomable. It's the first time we have had hope
in a very, very, very long time. And while we're
really expecting first of all, the end of the massacre
in Cadan, also the return of the hostages, these are
things that are pretty certain to happen, we're also really

(00:52):
hoping that it still continue as promised to a prolonged
cease fire and ideally then further to the end of
ongoing apartheid in siege.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Do you have enough clarity around the specifics or not?

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Well, we have some of the specifics for the coming
few days, so a limited retreat by the Israeli army
within Gada, cesition of hostilities, of violent clashes and obitually
air strikes, and then also the release of hostages and
about two hundred and fifty Pelsenian prisoners, the identity of

(01:28):
whom it's not been finalized yet.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
At no point have Hamas said as part of the
twenty point plan that YEP will lie down these weapons
and we're done being terrorists. Is that a problem?

Speaker 3 (01:38):
So, again, this is only the first phase, and it
has been agreed to only agree on the first phase
and do this ceasefire and prisoners swap and hostage release
and after that continue with negotiations. So I think Ntaao
is basically promising his base that the war will continue,
that he will eradicate Hamas. I think it's pretty certain

(02:02):
that that is not what the Kataris and the Trump
administration are after. Hopefully they can continue pressing both sides
to agree to the more advanced stages of disagreement.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
How does it land domestically for Nitnyaho given some of
the people he's gotten this cabinet who won't be iverly
happy with this.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
So the question is how far it goes for the
first faith. You know they're making you know, these faiths.
They're unhappy, but they're like, you know, we won't top
of your government over this.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
I think if the.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
War actually ends for good, then they will likely leave
the government and we will likely be seeing a new
elections soon.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
Hagi, what chance that this is Iba? There is peace
in the Middle East, and you and I for the
rest of our lives will never talk about conflict in
your part of the world ever.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Again, I would say almost none, unfortunately, just realistically speaking,
even if this agreement is complete lely successful in ending
the war and the genocide and Gada, then we will
have quiet around Gaza, but we will be basically where
we started, where we were in October sixth of twenty

(03:13):
twenty three, where as well continues it's aparthead regime in
the West Bank and continues to sege over Gaza, and
without any substantial changes of that reality, without justice and
liberation for Palestinians across the land, we will just be
back where we started, and there will be renewed violence
in the future. And this regime is violent in its nature,

(03:36):
So if that doesn't end, if the core problem doesn't end,
we'll be back to the same place where we started.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
All right, Hag, you appreciate it. Hagi Mante, who's out
of Israel for us this morning.

Speaker 4 (03:45):
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