August 14, 2024
The political editor wrote
- There is no indication that the Prime Minister of the occupying entity, Benjamin Netanyahu, intends for the negotiations scheduled for next Thursday, as requested by the U.S. President and supported by Egypt and Qatar, to result in an agreement that would end the war on Gaza and facilitate a prisoner exchange between the occupation and the resistance.
Even The New York Times is convinced that Netanyahu has introduced proposals designed to make reaching an agreement impossible.
Additionally, the occupying entity’s Minister of War, Yoav Gallant, has openly stated that Netanyahu is determined to sabotage any chance of an agreement.
- Hamas has declared that its participation in any negotiations is contingent upon the mediators securing Netanyahu’s approval of the agreement’s framework and terms, which Hamas has accepted.
This condition applies if the discussions still pertain to the elements of the initiative proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden, as detailed in both written and verbal forms and outlined in the UN Security Council resolution.
Hamas will not engage in negotiations intended to provide Netanyahu with cover and time to commit further massacres.
- Washington is keen on holding the negotiations on Thursday with the participation of both the occupying entity’s delegation and Hamas’s delegation, in line with its traditional approach of creating a favourable image.
It initiates the process, then applies pressure on the resistance to give the appearance of progress.
This approach, has failed repeatedly because when negotiations reach critical moments, Washington consistently avoids responsibility for pressuring Netanyahu and his government or holding them accountable for their failures.
- There is no indication that Washington has changed its approach of avoiding any pressure on Netanyahu and his government. Nor is there any indication that Hamas will back down and agree to enter negotiations.
These efforts are merely to buy time and create the appearance that talks are ongoing and making progress, solely to delay Iran and the resistance axis’s response to Israeli attacks, particularly the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
- Washington argues that attendance is what matters; Hamas asserts that the agreement is key; while Netanyahu believes that what matters is more time for more killing.
By Thursday, if Washington wants Hamas to participate, it must demand that Netanyahu announce his approval of the initiative before attending to negotiate its implementation. However, this is unlikely to happen, so Washington should prepare for the failure of its Thursday invitation and the collapse of its attempt to manipulate Iran and the resistance axis’s response.
Washington hopes to involve Hamas in this manoeuvre at the expense of its people’s blood, especially that of its leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
But today, there is no one in Hamas who can be bargained with over their residence, money, or pressured through embarrassment.
Yahya Sinwar is living in Gaza’s tunnels with the fighters, not waiting for money or approval from anyone.
- Washington can succeed in one scenario: if it embraces the responsibility with the level of seriousness needed to achieve a genuine agreement to end the war, as many interventions at the United Nations Security Council have urged.
