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Israel/Zionism See other Israel/Zionism Articles Title: Why Hamas just agreed to release an Israeli-American captive, and why Netanyahu is furious Netanyahu’s government shows no sign of being willing to end the war. He will now attempt to find a way of avoiding moving forward in the negotiating process and find a way to pin the blame on Hamas, as he has done numerous times in the past. By Qassam Muaddi for Mondoweiss Hamas announced on Friday that it accepted a U.S. proposal to release Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander and the remains of four other deceased Israeli captives who also carry dual nationality. In exchange, Israel will release a new batch of Palestinian prisoners. But the real reason Hamas is going forward with the release can be gleaned in the events leading up to the announcement. Arab satellite channel Al-Ghad TV quoted an unnamed Hamas official saying that after Hamas had initially refused a prior proposal from U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to release half of the remaining Israeli captives in its custody, the new demand became limited to five captives only — Edan Alexander and the four bodies. In exchange for releasing them, the source said, negotiations would move forward over a prospective second phase of the ceasefire that is intended to lead to a permanent end to the war. The same source was quoted saying that Hamas demanded ‘a clear roadmap for talks on the second phase.’ The release of Alexander is the first step in moving this process along. This development has backed Israel into a corner, as reported by Haaretz, given its refusal to enter into the ceasefire’s second phase or to entertain a permanent end to the war. Following Hamas’s statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas was engaging in ‘manipulation’ and ‘psychological warfare’ and that Hamas ‘remains firm in its refusal and has not budged one millimeter,’ citing Hamas’s earlier rejection of the ‘Witkoff proposal.’ So what will Israel do now that it is expected to engage in talks over the second stage of the ceasefire? The ceasefire talks entered a new phase earlier this week as negotiators returned to Doha on Monday to discuss the possibility of a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas. U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff extended his stay in the region until the end of the week to push the negotiations forward. Israel also sent a negotiating team, including the Israeli government’s coordinator for hostages affairs, an unnamed official in the Israeli internal intelligence, and the political advisor to Netanyahu, Ophir Falk. The new round of talks focused on a new proposal presented by Witkoff that includes the exchange of a new batch of prisoners and an extension of the ceasefire for an unspecified number of weeks. Israeli media reported slight progress in negotiations, while Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that it was ‘engaging positively and responsibly’ with all the proposals, hoping that the talks would lead to the end of the war. The Palestinian movement also called for pressuring Israel to end the war. The renewed negotiations come amidst Israel’s halting of the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza for the fourteenth day in a row following the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas. The closure of all crossing points into Gaza and the blocking of aid has led to food and fuel shortages and the closure of bakeries in the strip, in addition to a dramatic rise in prices for basic subsistence products. On Monday, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was ‘deteriorating very quickly’ and leading to ‘deepening hunger.’ ‘Whatever the intent is, it’s clearly a weaponization of humanitarian aid into Gaza,’ Lazzarini said. Prime Minister Netanyahu had said in early March, after the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire, that there would be ‘no free lunch for Gaza’ so long as no new Israeli captives were set to be released. Netanyahu’s move was a violation of the agreed terms of the ceasefire, as no new captives were set to be released until the second phase of the ceasefire began and Israel withdrew from the Philadelphi corridor along the border with Egypt — which it has not done. Talks over the second phase were scheduled to start in early February on the sixteenth day of the ceasefire, but Israel refused to participate in them because it would have entailed agreeing on the full withdrawal from Gaza and starting negotiations for the permanent end of the war. Israel has instead insisted on prolonging the first phase of the ceasefire in order to release more Israeli captives without committing to ending the war. Another of Netanyahu’s strategies in sabotaging the ceasefire negotiations was through his strident threats to resume Israel’s offensive on Gaza. Netanyahu’s key hardline ally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, repeatedly stated that Israel was preparing for a renewed and harsher attack, and Netanyahu himself threatened Hamas and the people of Gaza during an Israeli Knesset speech with ‘unbearable’ consequences if Israeli captives weren’t released. Now Hamas’s expression of its willingness to turn over an Israeli- American captive and the bodies of four others in exchange for negotiating over the second phase has thrown a wrench in Netanyahu’s tactics of sabotage, and the key development that made this shift possible was the Trump administration’s unconventional diplomatic maneuvers over the past week. The twist came last week as Axios reported that the U.S. was holding direct talks with Hamas with no mediation, a move that broke three decades of U.S. convention in refusing to negotiate with organizations it considers terrorist. The U.S. envoy, Adam Boehler, later responded on CNN to criticism made in private by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, stating that the U.S. was ‘not prepared to sit back for two weeks’ and adding that the U.S. ‘is not an agent of Israel.’ After Boehler’s comments, which were considered provocative and indicative of a rift between Israel and the Trump administration, Israel finally sent its delegation to Doha on Monday. Steve Witkoff presented his most recent proposal, which would see the release of 10 Israeli captives in exchange for a new batch of Palestinian prisoners and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including reconstruction material. The ceasefire would be extended for 50 to 60 days, during which period negotiations over the end of the war would take place. Although the Israeli delegation sent to Doha has limited powers to negotiate, the resumption of talks after a tense week of Israeli threats can be seen as a change in the U.S. position, which moved from Trump’s provocative proposal to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza and build a ‘Riviera’ in their place to discussing terms directly with Hamas and presenting consecutive proposals to move on to talks over ending the war. At the heart of this change is the issue of Gaza’s reconstruction and the Arab Summit counter-proposal in early March. On Wednesday, the meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Doha presented the plan to Witkoff and agreed to discuss it in ongoing talks as ‘a basis for reconstruction efforts in the strip,’ according to various Arab media reports. While Palestinians in Gaza and the families of Israeli captives place their hopes in the renewed round of talks in Doha — and now, the prospect of advancing talks over the second phase of the ceasefire following Hamas’s announcement on Friday — the prospects for reaching a final agreement remain remote. Netanyahu’s government shows no sign of being willing to end the war. He will now attempt to find a way of avoiding moving forward in the negotiating process and find a way to pin the blame on Hamas, as he has done numerous times in the past. Poster Comment: Netanyahu does not want the peace process to continue. He needs a war. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Horse (#0)
Agreed. War is the objective, not a last resort.
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