Trump will have the last word over ceasefire deal: Israeli analyst
Israeli analyst Akiva Eldar says Netanyahu has different priorities from Trump regarding the ceasefire deal.
“President Trump wants to have it both ways,” he said, adding that he wanted to “satisfy both the Saudis and the Arab League”.
Netanyahu may end up missing the former US administration, which he used to often “ignore”, Eldar said, adding that, under Trump, “it’s a different ball game.”
He said he understands Trump’s administration would “follow the money”, which is with Saudi Arabia and the Arab League and not Israel.
He added that the far right in Israel has also put the Israeli PM under pressure at home and has managed to “demonise” phase two of the ceasefire deal, which has become a “red line” for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu’s former minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
So now the Israel-Gaza genocide becomes a ceasefire deal between USA and Saudi Arabia....
Witkoff says Hamas response to ceasefire proposal ‘unacceptable’
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was on CNN earlier on Sunday giving his opinion on how the ceasefire negotiations are going – and based on what he said, he’s not happy with Hamas’s position.
Witkoff said that he had presented a “bridge proposal” involving the release of five living Israeli captives for a “substantial” number of Palestinian prisoners.
“I thought the proposal was compelling,” Witkoff said.
“The Israelis were informed about it and advised about it beforehand and after waiting for two or three days for Hamas … we got an unacceptable response,” he added. “It was totally unacceptable for them, but the opportunity is closing fast.”
For their part, a Hamas official said that the group was willing to release an Israeli-American, and the bodies of four other Israeli-Americans. Hamas has also insisted that the initial ceasefire deal agreed upon by both sides be adhered to, which would see a move to phase two with more captive and prisoner releases, and a move towards a permanent ceasefire in phase three.
The Israeli government, however, has indicated that it does not wish to have a permanent ceasefire without the total defeat of Hamas.
Unacceptable to stick to the contract... That's the US nowadays. Trade agreements, ceasefire agreements, international law, all the same. Rip them up, do what I tell you and don't forget to say thank you.
Hamas says its senior officials met Russia’s Middle East envoy
Hamas’s delegation included Muhammad Ismail Darwish, the head of its political bureau, and Khaled Meshaal, the head of the group abroad, according to a statement on Telegram.
Officials discussed developments in the ceasefire negotiations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, as well as Israel’s ongoing violations of the agreement and practices that hinder its implementation.
Darwish affirmed in the meeting the movement’s commitment to implementing the ceasefire agreement and its full readiness to complete it, Hamas said.
According to the statement, Bogdanov reiterated Russia’s position in supporting the rights of the Palestinian people, and Moscow’s backing for implementing all provisions of the ceasefire deal, as well as the need for unrestricted humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.
The US is intent on giving Russia and China more power.
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