Qatar says it's receiving "constant replies" from Israel and Hamas as "serious discussions" continue
Qatar said it’s engaged in “serious discussions” with Israel and Hamas and is receiving “constant replies” from both sides, but statements made by Israeli officials “leads to a harder mediation process,” Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in a news conference on Tuesday.
"Obviously when one side says they don’t accept the two state-solution and that they won’t stop this war eventually ... obviously leads to a harder mediation process,” Al-Ansari added.
Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty following talks with US President Joe Biden about Gaza’s future, suggesting Israel’s security needs would be incompatible with Palestinian statehood.
Communication cuts and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza also has an impact on the talks, but mediation efforts are in “full force” with Qatar exchanging ideas between both sides, Al-Ansari said. “Our negotiators are working around the clock to exchange these ideas, a lot of these media reports are either missing elements or completely false," he said in response to media reports that Israel offered a two-month ceasefire to Hamas as part of a prospective hostage deal.
At least they're talking, but most of these media reports about deals being on the table are premature or just for show
Qatar optimistic but doesn’t see imminent Israel-Hamas deal
I asked Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson about reports suggesting the Israelis have sent new proposals to Qatar based on a two-month halt in fighting in exchange for the release of captives and possibly a huge number of Palestinians. He said those reports were either exaggerated or inaccurate. However, he did say that talks between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Qatar, have reached a critical phase.
Hamas has said any agreement must be based on a permanent ceasefire, something that has been dismissed so far by Israel. The spokesperson said he remains optimistic but does not expect something to happen soon because of major disagreements. Qatar is saying it is time for something conducive to an agreement to happen. We need genuine commitment and one of the key components would be for Israel to accept the notion of a viable Palestinian state.
Meanwhile US and UK are only focusing on where to bomb Yemen next, pathetic.
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