Egyptian official says US offering ‘promises, not guarantees’ on ceasefire
The Associated Press is reporting that Egypt is sceptical about the prospects of a ceasefire proposal, with little clarity over the status of Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor.
Blinken said on Tuesday that the proposal is “very clear on the schedule and location” of Israeli withdrawals, the AP reported, quoting an unnamed Egyptian official with knowledge of the negotiations, appeared to cast doubt on that claim, saying that Israel has only offered vague promises in those areas.
The Egyptian official added that the US-backed “bridging proposal” includes the release of the most vulnerable Hamas-held captives, with negotiations on other key issues to take place during a six-week “pause” in the fighting.
“The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees,” the official was quoted as saying. “Hamas won’t accept this, because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent ceasefire.”
Latest ceasefire deal ‘went too far’ to accommodate Israel: Report
Two Arab officials from a mediating country and a third official involved in the ceasefire talks are quoted as saying by The Times of Israel that the “bridging proposal” submitted last week by the Biden administration “went too far” to accommodate Netanyahu’s position regarding a continued Israeli military presence in Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor.
The newspaper reported, quoting an Arab official, that talks are at an impasse and there is no point holding another high-level meeting in Cairo this week “unless the US pressures Netanyahu to come down from his new demands and amends its bridging proposal accordingly”.
“A second Arab official expressed his bewilderment at US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s repeated public insistence in recent days that Netanyahu backs the US bridging proposal, arguing that this inaccurately frames Hamas as the lone obstructionist party,” the report said.
Blinken ‘seriously undermined the negotiations’: Report
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has published a report quoting unnamed Israeli sources who say Blinken “seriously undermined the negotiations and demonstrated a lack of understanding” when he claimed that Netanyahu had accepted a US-backed proposal that could bring about a suspension of fighting in Gaza.
Blinken’s statement was met with surprise by Israeli negotiators, who have accused Netanyahu of “putting forth new demands with the aim of hindering the negotiations”, according to a report by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
A source told Yedioth Ahronoth that Blinken’s claim offered Netanyahu a “gift” by making Hamas appear as the major obstacle to an agreement, dealing a potential “death blow” to efforts to reach a deal.
