Despite the delay in the agreement, US President Joe Biden said that he had not lost hope, but called on Hamas to accept the agreement.
Biden’s statements came after similar ones by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in which he affirmed Israel’s support for Biden’s plan, adding that the goal now is how to bridge the gaps with the Hamas movement, to achieve an agreement as quickly as possible.
Where does the problem lie now, and why was there pessimism in Israel about the agreement?
In this regard, the director of Thabat Research and Opinion Polls, Jihad Harb, said during his intervention with the newsroom on Sky News Arabia, that, so far, there has been no official approval from the Israeli side for the initiative proposed by President Biden and the Security Council, and that this did not prevent the existence of… Some amendments submitted by Hamas.
- The amendments made by Hamas to the American paper include:
FirstlyWithdrawal from the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia axis. These points did not exist on May 6, when the Hamas movement agreed to the Egyptian paper, and they were not included among the conditions at the time, especially since Israel was threatening to invade the Rafah area at that time.
secondlyObtaining written guarantees guaranteeing the implementation of a permanent ceasefire in addition to the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, the document submitted to Hamas does not fully provide these guarantees.
ThirdOne party cannot be asked to agree to a document unconditionally and begin implementing it immediately. Disputing parties are usually willing to communicate and negotiate to reach solutions satisfactory to all.
- Hamas and Israel consider themselves victorious, or at least undefeated, in this battle, which reinforces the desire of both parties to achieve an image of self-victory through these negotiations.
- Israel is considered the party obstructing the possibility of reaching a final agreement, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be the main obstacle, as he does not seem to want to end the war, but rather seeks its continuation.
- Israel did not achieve victory in this war to impose the conditions of life for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. On the contrary, Israel is considered defeated, both internationally and internally.
- Israel’s failure during eight months to achieve the mission announced by the Israeli Prime Minister has a logical explanation that Hamas will remain present in the Gaza Strip, which is what Netanyahu has been seeking for the past fifteen years.
- Ideologically, Netanyahu seeks to pursue policies of postponing and rejecting any possibility of reaching an agreement. He also works to prevent any opportunity to return the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip and achieve the unity of the West Bank.
For his part, writer and political researcher Eli Nissan told the newsroom that the proposal presented by Israel and the United States is essentially based on the proposal that had been presented by the Hamas movement several months ago.
- This time, Israel agreed to the proposal and presented this proposal to the United States, which in turn adopted this proposal.
- A ceasefire will be implemented for 6 weeks in the first phase, during which the kidnapped women, children, the elderly and the injured will be released.
- At the end of the six-week ceasefire period, talks will take place on moving to the second phase, which will see the ceasefire continue and efforts continued to reach long-term solutions.
- The dispute still exists between Israel and the United States over the issue of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but there are questions about who will take control after this withdrawal, which President Biden did not address directly.
- Israel’s assertion that in the event of its withdrawal and a ceasefire, an entity other than Hamas must assume responsibility for managing the Gaza Strip, while ensuring the movement’s complete disarmament.
- Israel is not interested in remaining in the Gaza Strip, and does not seek to manage its affairs or establish settlements there, contrary to the desires expressed by Smotrich and Ben Gvir.
- The third phase of the operation depends on the return of the remains of abducted Israeli individuals from Gaza, and coincides with the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which is expected to take between 3 to 5 years. However, this timeline is considered illogical to the families of the abductees.
- Netanyahu expresses his opposition to the idea of the Palestinian Authority assuming any role in the Gaza Strip or at the Rafah crossing.
- A public opinion poll published in the West Bank showed that more than 70% of the population of the Gaza Strip support the Hamas movement and support what the movement did on October 7.
- The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, does not have the ability to govern and build an effective military force in the region.
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