US, UK ‘working in lockstep’ for a Gaza ceasefire
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he spoke with Blinken to discuss ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and said that the US and UK are “working in lockstep to bring all parties to an agreement”.
“An immediate end to the fighting in Gaza and the release of all hostages is vital,” he added in a post on X.
An immediate end to the fighting in Gaza and the release of all hostages is vital.
I spoke with @SecBlinken today to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
The UK and US are working in lockstep to bring all parties to an agreement.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 20, 2024
US has not put enough pressure on Israel in ceasefire talks
Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu has no intention of ending the war on Gaza and that the Biden administration has failed to press Israel to accept a ceasefire.
“The US has not put adequate pressure on Israel. They’re really not applying any pressure on Israel,” Elmasry said.
He said the current so-called bridging proposal is “an awful deal for the Palestinians” and that the only reason Hamas might accept it is for a few weeks “reprieve” from Israeli bombs.
“This deal is so bad that it’s almost as though the Israelis and the Americans want Hamas to say no, so that they can blame Hamas for holding up the peace process,” he said.
Elmasry added that former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump also had little interest in seeing a ceasefire soon. Trump “wants to be elected president and he believes that if a ceasefire deal is reached right now, it will help Kamala Harris’s campaign,” he said.
Iran hints at a possible ground attack on Israel
Iran’s mission to the UN has issued a statement reiterating a pledge to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
“Iran’s response should have two clear results,” it said, according to the Mehr news agency.
“First, it must punish the aggressor for terror and violation of Iran’s national sovereignty. Second, it should strengthen Iran’s deterrence power and bring the [Israeli] regime deep remorse to prevent any future aggression. Also, Iran’s response should avoid a possible negative impact on a possible [Gaza] ceasefire,” it said.
The statement added that Iran would respond in a time and manner that takes the Israelis by surprise. “Maybe when their eyes are on the sky and the radar screen, they are surprised from the ground, and maybe a combination of the two,” it said.
Blinken says ‘time is of the essence’ to end Gaza war
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his latest regional tour to push for a ceasefire in Gaza in Qatar.
Blinken met Qatari leaders hours after talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The US secretary of state said Israel has accepted a so-called bridging proposal and said he’d do everything he could to get Hamas on board.
No he's doing everything to get Netanyahu onboard while making sure Hamas can't accept the bridging proposal. It's not a bridge, it's a brick wall.
Why is Israel demanding to keep control of the Netzarim Corridor?
The Netzarim Corridor, a 7km (4.4-mile) stretch established by the Israeli military that divides northern and southern Gaza, has become a major point of contention in ceasefire negotiations. Israel is now insisting that its forces maintain control over this corridor, directly opposing one of Hamas’s central demands — Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza.
Hassan Barari, a professor of international affairs at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera that control of the corridor is crucial for Israel because it allows it to screen any Palestinians moving from south to north. Israel’s military fears that if Palestinians are able to move freely to the north, “it would be an opportunity for Hamas to regroup and attack Israel”, said Barari. “The memory of October 7 is still there.”
However, Barari stated that by including this stipulation in ceasefire demands, Israel is negotiating in bad faith, knowing it is a non-starter for Hamas.
“Hamas wants Israel’s full withdrawal from the entire Strip … and to make sure those who are displaced can return to their homes once and for all,” he said. “Anything short of that Hamas would interpret as a kind of capitulation.”
