Israel – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel ramping up diplomatic pressure in a last-ditch effort to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release the hostages.
Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States are due to resume this week in Cairo, after a two-day meeting in Doha last week that focused on bridging gaps on proposals put forward by Washington.
But there are still significant gaps between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources familiar with the talks and statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the militant movement.
* End the war
The factions want to reach an agreement that will guarantee an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu pledges “complete victory” and wants the agreement to allow him to resume fighting in the Palestinian enclave until the factions lose the ability to pose any threat to Israelis.
* The border between Gaza and Egypt
The factions want Israel to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip, including the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14.5-kilometre strip along the coastal enclave’s southern border with Egypt.
While Israel wants to retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor, which it captured in late May after destroying dozens of tunnels underneath it, which it says were used to smuggle weapons to armed groups in Gaza.
There also appear to be divisions within the Israeli leadership on this issue. Netanyahu says that only the presence of Israeli troops on the border will prevent arms smuggling, while defense officials say the border can still be monitored and soldiers can carry out attacks if necessary.
* Return of the displaced
Israel wants to carefully search displaced Palestinians as they return to the densely populated north of the Strip when the ceasefire comes into effect, to ensure they are unarmed. The factions are demanding freedom of movement for Palestinians who were forced to flee south and want to return to their homes.
* Release of hostages
The three-stage ceasefire plan calls for the release of 33 hostages, known as humanitarian cases, dead or alive, in the first stage. Netanyahu says he wants to increase the number of live prisoners to be released in this stage.
There are a total of 115 hostages remaining, men and women, both civilians and soldiers, as well as two children, and at least a third of them have been declared dead in absentia by the Israeli authorities.
Israel also seeks to have the right to veto the identities of some Palestinian prisoners who might be released in exchange.
* Who is responsible?
The factions and Israel have traded blame for the deadlock in the talks. Netanyahu has rejected criticism at home and abroad for introducing new demands to the original plan on the Gaza-Egypt border and inspections of returning Palestinians.
Netanyahu denies imposing new conditions and says his demands relate to vital security issues that are consistent with the original proposal and essentially determine how it will be implemented.
The factions movement says Washington’s new proposals are too close to Israel’s positions. Netanyahu says the factions’ intransigent stance was the main obstacle to reaching an agreement.
Reuters
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2024-08-21 10:24:29
