A ceasefire seems to be out of reach again.
CNN remains hopeful, but is now also conceding that Netanyahu and his right wing ministers are the problem. It's some progress I guess, no longer repeating the 'blame Hamas' propaganda. Baby steps.
Developments in Gaza ceasefire talks raise hopes but challenges persist. Here’s what to know
Israeli and US officials showed optimism last week around a ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, as the Palestinian militant group expressed willingness to compromise on a key sticking point. But an agreement may still be elusive despite the new momentum.
....
A statement by the Israeli prime minister’s office on Sunday, however, cast doubt on whether the deal would progress, laying out several “principles” Israel is not prepared to abandon, including resumed fighting in Gaza “until all of objectives of the war have been achieved.”
....
The prime minister’s conditions block “any possibility of progress from the Israeli side,” Gershon Baskin, a former Israeli hostage negotiator who once acted as a channel to Hamas, told CNN, adding that the conditions were “completely against what Hamas’ demands are.”
“I don’t think that Hamas will give in to additional Israeli demands,” such as staying on the Philadelphi Corridor, Baskin said, referring to the 14-kilometer (about 8.7-mile) buffer zone on the Egypt-Gaza border. Hamas is also unlikely to agree to an Israeli demand of “a veto on the selection of Palestinian prisoners to be released.”
....
Baskin, the former negotiator, said that added US pressure is unlikely to sway the Israeli prime minister, who is battling for political survival amid anti-government protests demanding his resignation. Netanyahu is also bound by the demands of right-wing ministers in his coalition who are opposed to any compromise with Hamas.
US pressure is “strongly diminished now” after Biden’s debate against Trump, Baskin said. Biden’s weak debate performance only led more Democrats to express doubts that he can beat his opponent in the upcoming election.
“If the Americans are still optimistic (after Netanyahu’s Sunday statement), then they are really living in La La land,” Baskin told CNN. “They have really no idea what is going on in the mind of Netanyahu.”
Netanyahu is determined to hold out until Trump wins the elections. He has played Biden like a fiddle, stalling for time, undermining Biden at every twist and turn, throwing Biden under the bus with fake complaints about withholding weapons.
Trump helped Netanyahu back in power in 2019, now Netanyahu is helping Trump get back in power in 2024
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-03-27/what-netanyahu-and-israelis-learned-from-the-trump-playbook
