Could Israel be planning a Gaza ‘ceasefire’ for optics only?
American journalist Ryan Grim says it may be risky for Israel to reject a ceasefire in Gaza, even if just to placate US President-elect Trump.
PM Netanyahu bet his political future on waiting for Trump to assume office, argues Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News.
He tells host Steve Clemons that Netanyahu’s gambit paid off, and now he may not be able to reject a ceasefire after January 20 – inauguration day for Trump, who has promised that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if he does not get his way.
“Whether it holds or whether it’s just something that’s announced so that Trump can celebrate it and say he’s moving on” is the bigger question, Grim says.
Ceasefire talks have always been for optics only from the Israeli side. Every time negotiations were getting close, Israel has stepped up the massacres and added new conditions Hamas can't agree to. Blinken has even admitted to this.
There is not going to be a ceasefire as long as 'negotiations' remain one sided. The US needs to agree to a (permanent) ceasefire as much as Israel and neither seem to actually want a ceasefire. The US is already showing its true colors by not enforcing the Lebanon ceasefire.
The backpedaling is already in full force again
Israel has not received draft proposal for ceasefire deal, official says: Report
Israel has not received a draft proposal for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and return its captives, says an Israeli official, according to a report by Reuters.
Earlier on Monday, another official briefed on the negotiations said Qatar had handed Israel and Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and captives release agreement designed to end the war in Gaza.
Israel’s Smotrich says Gaza deal taking shape is a ‘catastrophe’
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of one of the hardline nationalist religious parties in the country’s ruling coalition, has denounced a deal being worked out in Qatar to end the fighting in Gaza and return captives, calling it a “surrender” deal.
“The deal that is taking shape is a catastrophe for the national security of the state of Israel,” he said in a statement, Reuters reported.
Trump’s ‘all hell’ comment a threat to Hamas, says Vance
The US Vice President-elect says a deal between Israel and Hamas could soon be reached and the reason for the progress is “because people are terrified that there’re going to be consequences for Hamas”.
“We’re hopeful there’s going to be a deal that is struck toward the very end of [Joe] Biden’s administration – maybe the last day or two,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
He was responding to a question about what President-elect Donald Trump meant last week when he said “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release the remaining captives it holds.
“It’s very clear that President Trump threatening Hamas and making it clear that there is going to be hell to pay, is part of the reason why we’ve made progress on getting some hostages out,” Vance said.
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