Q: When is a deal not a deal?
A: When you talk about it.
That message went out to members of the Israeli Knesset today from defense minister Israel Katz. He briefed MKs that a deal was now closer than it has been in the year since the last hostage-for-prisoner exchange, and promised the deal would get consensus support. However, discussing the terms in public could quash the negotiations, Katz warned.
Sounds like a Pelosi explanation, but with much more reason for secrecy:
Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly told Knesset lawmakers on Monday that Israel is “closer than ever” to closing a deal with Hamas to free the hostages held in Gaza, bolstering Arab media reports of heavy optimism on the chances for an agreement in the coming weeks.
Katz’s comments to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were made behind closed doors but leaks of his…
