What next after US says ceasefire negotiators coming home?
It was notable that the Israelis removed their negotiators a short time before this tweet [from US special envoy Steve Witkoff].
In an interview with Axios, they made it clear they were simply trying to shake up the negotiations, put more pressure on Hamas, but they weren’t leaving the negotiations.
We don’t know whether [Witkoff’s tweet] is part of a negotiating tactic. We know that one of the key sticking points for Hamas is Donald Trump perhaps giving some kind of personal guarantee that after 60 days, hostilities won’t resume. That’s something he could very easily do.
We also know that there was a suggestion that Israel probably wouldn’t sign onto any great breakthrough until Sunday, when the Knesset [parliament] in Israel dissolves, so that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government can’t be brought down by coalition partners.
Having said that though, this is a very sternly worded tweet.
For Witkoff to be talking about alternative options for a more stable environment for the people of Gaza, we know that Trump simply hasn’t ruled out ethnic cleansing, concentration camps, getting other countries [to take in Palestinians].
But right now, we simply don’t know.
State Dept refuses to say what ‘alternative options’ being considered for Gaza
A spokesperson for the US State Department has refused to answer repeated questions from reporters about special envoy Witkoff’s statement on the Trump administration’s withdrawal from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar.
Notably, deputy spokesman Thomas Pigott was pressed about what Witkoff meant when he said that Washington “will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza”.
“Ultimately, the statement speaks for itself”, Pigott said during a briefing.
“At this point, I have nothing to preview,” he added when asked again about what “alternative options” are on the table.
Trump has previously said he wants the US to “own” Gaza as part of an effort to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” and supports initiatives to push Palestinians out of the enclave.
Rights advocates have said that would constitute ethnic cleansing, and Trump’s position has been firmly rejected by Palestinians.
