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55094
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Hamas says it won’t take part in cease-fire talks planned for this wee
URL: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4823029-hamas-cease-fire-talks/
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Hamas says it won’t take part in cease-fire talks planned for this week by Nick Robertson - 08/11/24 5:20 PM ET Hamas leadership said Sunday that it will not attend cease-fire negotiations this week, insisting instead that the U.S. and allies submit an action plan to implement its cease-fire proposal agreed to last month. The statement from Hamas, acquired by The Associated Press, urges the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to show how they can implement last month’s proposal “instead of going to more rounds of negotiations or new proposals that provide cover for the occupation’s aggression.” President Biden insisted earlier Sunday that the cease-fire proposal is “still viable” despite some pushback from Israeli leaders. “The plan I put together endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the … U.N. Security Council, et cetera, is still viable,” Biden said in a “CBS News Sunday Morning” interview. “And I’m working literally every single day to — and my whole team, to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can.” Hamas leaders cited rising tensions in the region after Israel assassinated two top Hamas officials in Beirut and Tehran earlier this month. The group also noted that the Israeli military has killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians in airstrikes in recent days. Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a joint statement last week urging Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire and hostage-release deal currently on the table. “The time has come to conclude the cease-fire and hostages and detainees release deal,” the leaders said in the statement last Thursday. “The three of us and our teams have worked tirelessly over many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude.” “There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,” they added. “It is time to release the hostages, begin the cease-fire, and implement this agreement.” The proposed cease-fire talks were scheduled to begin Thursday, focused on a “final bridging proposal,” the three leaders said. U.S. officials have hinted for weeks that talks are approaching the final stages, while some have admitted there are still key implementation details to be sorted out. The deal for a cease-fire and the release of hostages would build upon a proposal from Biden in May, which would involve the most vulnerable hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and a temporary cease-fire. Israeli troops would also be required to withdraw from densely populated areas in Gaza. |
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55095
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: “Nobody knows what Bibi wants,” one Israeli source said...
URL: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/11/middleeast/hamas-sinwar-ceasefire-netanyahu-intl/index.html
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Hamas leader Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal, mediators say, but Netanyahu’s stance unclear By Jeremy Diamond, CNN Updated 3:38 PM EDT, Sun August 11, 2024 ☝🏿People check the damage inside a school being used as a temporary shelter for displaced Palestinians, in Gaza City after it was hit by an Israeli strike. Omar al-Qatta/AFP/Getty Images CNN — Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal — at least, that’s the message Egyptian and Qatari mediators have conveyed to Israeli officials in recent days ahead of a critical summit later this week, an Israeli source familiar with the matter said. Whether the Israeli prime minister wants one remains shrouded in uncertainty. Netanyahu’s allies have told journalists and other government officials that the Israeli prime minister is ready to make a deal, regardless of the impact on his governing coalition, two Israeli sources said. But the Israeli security establishment remains considerably more skeptical of Netanyahu’s willingness to strike a deal given fierce opposition from far-right ministers in his coalition. Yahya Sinwar was made the political leader of Hamas. RELATED ARTICLE Hamas names Oct. 7 architect Yahya Sinwar new political leader. What does it mean for ceasefire talks? “Nobody knows what Bibi wants,” one Israeli source said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. What is clear is that Netanyahu is going to face a mountain of pressure this week from the United States to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal. But even as the mediators told Israel that Sinwar wants a deal, Hamas on Sunday cast doubt on its participation in the next round of ceasefire negotiations scheduled for Thursday, saying it has asked mediators to implement a ceasefire plan based on previous ceasefire talks such as those put forward by US President Joe Biden and the UN Security Council in July. “Out of concern and responsibility towards our people and their interests, the movement demands the mediators to present a plan to implement what they presented to the movement and agreed upon on July 2, 2024, based on Biden’s vision and the UN Security Council resolution, and to compel the occupation to do so, instead of going for further negotiation rounds or new proposals,” the Hamas statement reads. Hamas indicated that its latest stance was influenced by an Israeli attack Saturday on a school in Gaza that killed at least 93 people, according to local officials. US officials have made clear to their Israeli counterparts they believe the time to reach a ceasefire deal is now in order to avoid a wider regional war, the Israeli source said. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a powerful voice in Israel, has also called on Israel and Hamas to finalize a hostage and ceasefire deal. ”A deal is the only path to bring all hostages home. Time is running out. The hostages have no more to spare. A deal must be signed now!”, the forum said in a statement on Thursday. At the same time, Netanyahu’s coalition partners have made it clear they do not want Israel to strike a deal with Hamas. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the proposed ceasefire deal a “surrender deal” on Friday. Writing on social media platform X he said: “I call on the Prime Minister not to fall into this trap and not to agree to a shift, even the slightest, from the red lines he set just recently, and they are also very problematic.” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby rebuked Smotrich’s comments, saying “his arguments are dead wrong.” However, Netanyahu’s political future largely depends on his coalition partners – several of whom have already threatening to leave the government and cause its collapse if he agrees to the deal. The Knesset (Israeli parliament) is currently out of session for its summer recess, which would make it harder – although not impossible – for Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to collapse the current government. And Israeli sources indicated that Netanyahu may call for elections if a ceasefire deal is reached, which would allow him to control the timing of such elections. Delegations working ‘around the clock’ Mediators are set to convene with Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams in Cairo or Doha next week. But negotiations are already underway with technical delegations working “around the clock” through key details ahead of Thursday’s meeting, the Israeli source said. The talks come at an extremely tense time in the Middle East. A pair of high profile assassinations in Lebanon and Iran in recent weeks has sparked fears of retaliation that could lead to a wider conflict. Israel last week killed Fu’ad Shukr, the top military commander of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group. The next day, Israel is widely believed to have assassinated Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, in what is seen as a major embarrassment for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) which was hosting Hanuyeah. Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri attends the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on August 7, 2024. The Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is holding an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers on August 7 at the request of "Palestine and Iran", to discuss developments in the region, an OIC official said, amid regional tensions during the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Amer HILABI / AFP) (Photo by AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images) RELATED ARTICLE Iran mulls scrapping plans to take revenge on Israel in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in that incident. There are indications that Iran will reconsider the scale and timing of its retaliation against Israel if there is a ceasefire in Gaza, a possibility that has put added pressure on Israel to reach a deal in order to avoid the risk of an all-out regional war. Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and, according to Israel, one of the masterminds behind the deadly October 7 terror attack was named the new head of the group’s political bureau following Haniyeh’s assassination. Sinwar has not been seen in public since October 7 and is believed to be hiding in the tunnels trenched beneath Gaza. Haniyeh has played a key role in ceasefire talks but Sinwar’s role has been more limited, given the his difficulties in communicating with the outside world. The talks come after an Israeli strike on a school and mosque compound killed scores, sparking international outrage. Israel said it was targeting a Hamas command center and had killed several fighters. Following the strike US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, said Saturday that “far too many” civilians have been killed in Gaza, saying a deal “needs to get done now.” This story has been updated with additional developments Sunday. |
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