CIA director in Egypt, has talks with el-Sisi on Gaza ceasefire efforts
Attention turns to Qatar on Wednesday for another round of Gaza ceasefire talks. They come after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met CIA Director William Burns in Cairo.
El-Sisi reaffirmed his position opposing Israel’s military operations in Gaza and stressed the importance of a two-state solution, as well as preventing the conflict from expanding in the region.
Israeli delegation arrives in Doha for ceasefire talks
We are getting reports that an Israeli delegation has landed in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to discuss a Gaza ceasefire deal.
While we look into these, here’s a recap of the latest attempts to reach an agreement:
- After months of deadlock, Netanyahu last week authorised negotiators to restart talks.
- This came after the US made changes to the language of a three-phase plan outlined by Biden in late May.
- Hamas has reportedly dropped a longstanding demand that Israel accept a permanent ceasefire as a condition to sign any deal. Instead, the group said, it would use the plan’s first phase to achieve that.
- However, Netanyahu has since published a list of non-conditional principles that would be fundamental for Israel to agree to anything, including its ability to continue its war until Hamas is fully destroyed.
Israeli police arrest protesters demanding ceasefire deal
Israeli police have arrested at least nine protesters in Tel Aviv who were calling for the government to reach a deal to release all captives held in Gaza.
Another round of talks to try to end the war in Gaza are set to begin in Qatar on Wednesday.
After months of deadlock, the Hamas armed group last week presented new “ideas” to Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators on how to reach a ceasefire and captive-exchange deal.
But critics accused Netanyahu of derailing the talks after his office published on Sunday a list of non-negotiable conditions. One of these includes Israel’s ability to resume operations in Gaza until the destruction of Hamas.
Graduating student who yelled ‘Free Palestine’ reportedly deported from UAE
At the graduation ceremony of New York University Abu Dhabi this May, a student wearing the traditional Palestinian black-and-white keffiyeh scarf shouted “Free Palestine!” as he crossed the stage to receive his diploma, witnesses have told The Associated Press. Days later, he reportedly was deported from the United Arab Emirates.
Jacqueline Hennecke, an NYU Abu Dhabi alumni who graduated in May, told the AP that the university sent an email prior to graduation banning all “cultural attire” at the commencement – including scarves.
The student who disregarded the order and yelled “Free Palestine!” on stage was taken into police custody prior to his deportation, according to the American Association of University Professors, which supports free speech and academic freedom efforts.
The university “has been unable to protect students, staff and faculty from being taken into custody and interrogated at government security offices and has failed to prevent the deportation of one academic staff member and a graduate student,” a statement from the organisation said.
