Hamas’s response to ceasefire proposal appears to put ball back ‘in Israel’s court’
The National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has confirmed that the US administration has received the response from Hamas.
He says that they are evaluating it right now. He added that it’s certainly helpful that we have a response. As for the reported details, he said, ‘I think I’m just going to demur right now’.
That means that they have received the response and now they are looking at it and working through the details.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the ball was in Hamas’s court in terms of responding to President Biden’s ceasefire proposal. Well that would now appear to have changed. Since the Hamas response, the ball would now appear to be tossed over the net and in Israel’s court to come up with some form of response.
Hamas responds to Gaza cease-fire plan seeking some changes. US says it’s ‘evaluating’ the reply
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-11-2024-d3733d55c6a66222da1a4a051997094c
Hamas said Tuesday that it gave mediators its reply to the U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, seeking some “amendments” on the deal. It appeared the reply was short of an outright acceptance that the United States has been pushing for but kept negotiations alive over an elusive halt to the eight-month war.
The foreign ministries of Qatar and Egypt — who have been key mediators alongside the United States — confirmed that they had received Hamas’ response and said mediators were studying it.
“We’re in receipt of this reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and to Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said the response included “amendments that confirm the cease-fire, withdrawal, reconstruction and (prisoner) exchange.” Taha did not elaborate.
But while supporting the broad outlines of the deal, Hamas officials have expressed wariness over whether Israel would implement its terms, particularly provisions for an eventual permanent end to fighting and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of all hostages held by the militants.
Here we go again, just like last time Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal. Now it's up to the Biden administration to put pressure on their proxy outlaw state to accept / stick to Biden's ceasefire deal. Which is basically what the 'amendments' are about. Hamas wants a guarantor.
Israel ‘spinning’ reported Hamas amendments in ceasefire response
This is already being spun in Israel. Israeli officials are saying that this is a rejection of the Biden ceasefire proposal and what was tabled as a resolution by the UN Security Council.
Hamas are actually saying that, you asked us to respond. We have responded, and the ball is now firmly in Israel’s court; Israel needs to come to the negotiating table.
Hamas have also said that they are willing to send negotiators to go and get a ceasefire deal done.
CNN is spinning as well
US intelligence suggests Sinwar believes Hamas has upper hand in negotiations with Israel, officials say
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/11/politics/us-intelligence-sinwar-gaza/index.html
For US negotiators pursuing a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, it’s a discouraging assessment. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the families of American hostages being held in Gaza in a meeting in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning that the fate of the latest proposal rests with Sinwar.
While the US is pressuring those who have sway over Hamas to push the group to accept the deal, Blinken on Tuesday made it clear that the US believes that Sinwar is the ultimate decision-maker.
They accept the deal, wake up CNN.
Hamas gambled on the suffering of civilians in Gaza. Netanyahu played right into it
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/11/middleeast/analysis-yahya-sinwar-hamas-ceasefire-talks-intl-latam/index.html
Yahya Sinwar has so far survived eight months of Israeli’s brutal military campaign to kill him. His longevity is a personal victory for the Hamas leader – and increasingly appears to be grim vindication of his decision to seize the initiative in the generational Palestinian struggle with Israel by launching a bloody attack on October 7 that would plunge Gaza’s two million residents into a predictable hell.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his military responded as expected to Sinwar’s onslaught of terror that killed more than 1,200 people and saw over 220 taken hostage, declaring war and vowing to destroy Hamas.
Rewriting history as usual, Hamas has had pretty much the same proposal on the table since December.
Hamas also did not expect to be this successful on October 7th and lost track of their soldiers while more and more people and other militants walked into Israel to take revenge since the Israeli response took many many hours to arrive.
I'm sure they expected another bombing campaign like in 2014, 2012, 2008 etc. Yet the primary objective was another hostage exchange. Hamas effed up, Israel effed up, many innocent civilians got murdered by terrorists as well as by friendly fire in the chaos.
Now is the time to make sure this never happens again through diplomatic means leading to a 2 state solution.
