Israeli media: Netanyahu rejects Egypt’s mediation in the negotiations after it demanded pressure on him to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want Egypt to be a partner in the ongoing negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal and ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli Maariv newspaper, “the reaction of the Egyptian officials was very angry when Netanyahu told the Americans that Tel Aviv doesn’t need Egypt’s role any more in the next stages of the deal, after Cairo demanded that he be pressured to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor”.
According to Maariv, Egyptian officials involved in the negotiations to reach a deal expressed their anger at the response to Cairo’s request to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor, because this violates the peace agreement signed between Israel and Egypt.
Maariv newspaper reported that Netanyahu said that he no longer needed the Egyptian mediation role in the next stage, which increased the anger of the Egyptians.
Sources indicated that security and diplomatic officials in Egypt are now discussing several scenarios for escalation, including the possibility of returning Egyptian Ambassador Khaled Azmy from Tel Aviv and heading to the Security Council to pressure Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor.
