Israeli intelligence and CIA meet to 'push' hostage release deal
(Baonghean.vn) - According to a statement from the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of Israel's intelligence agency (Mossad) met with the CIA Director as part of efforts to secure the release of hostages still being held in Gaza.
“Mossad chief David Barnea met with CIA chief Bill Burns on March 8 as part of ongoing efforts to advance a hostage deal,” Netanyahu’s office said. The statement said Israel remained in contact with mediators about a possible deal but that Hamas was “not interested” and was “trying to incite the region during Ramadan,” the Muslim fasting month that could begin as early as March 10.
In a related development, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are growing at a record pace. The senior UN official warned that the establishment and continued expansion of settlements means Israel is transferring its own civilians into territories it occupies, which he said would be a war crime under international law. “The West Bank is in crisis. However, settlement-related violence and violations have reached shocking new levels and risk eliminating any realistic prospect of a Palestinian state,” Turk said.
In February, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was disappointed with Israel’s plans to build more than 3,300 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, adding that the development would be “inconsistent” with international law. The comments contradicted the policies pursued by the administration of former President Donald Trump./.