2024-02-15 00:38:00
Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department
In the midst of diplomatic efforts to achieve a peace agreement in the Gaza Strip, this Wednesday the United States recognized that certain Hamas demands constitute serious obstacles to moving towards a pact with Israel.
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Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department, said at a press conference that Hamas’s demand to limit Israel’s sovereignty on the Temple Mount is an “obvious impossibility.”
That was one of the many demands that the Palestinian terrorist group formulated in the response it issued at the beginning of the month to a proposed agreement on the hostages prepared by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the main mediators in the conflict.
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President Joe Biden maintained days ago that some of Hamas’ demands were “exaggerated,” but did not delve into the content of the terrorist group’s response. In this way, Miller is the first American official to specify Washington’s position regarding Hamas’ response.
“For example, the status of Al-Aqsa is not going to be resolved in a hostage negotiation,” added the American spokesman during the press conference.
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Likewise, he stated that the Israeli government took the necessary measures to guarantee the delivery of aid through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, declaring the surrounding area a closed military zone: “We dialogued with the Israeli government and we have made it clear that the position of the United States United is that the crossing must remain open and that all possible measures must be taken to ensure that it remains open.”
Israeli security forces work in the Al-Aqsa complex, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
Despite Hamas’ “exaggerated” demands, the State Department spokesperson affirmed that the United States still sees an agreement possible for the release of the hostages kidnapped in Gaza.
“We continue to believe that it is possible to reach an agreement. “We continue to believe that it is in the national security interest of the United States, of Israel and, of course, of the Palestinian people,” he stated.
In addition, he promised that the Biden administration will continue working to “close a pact that not only guarantees the release of the hostages but also allows a pause (in the fighting) that facilitates the delivery of humanitarian aid and alleviates suffering in Gaza.”
Consultations between the delegations of Qatar, Egypt and the United States continued this Wednesday in Cairo to advance a truce in Gaza.
Meanwhile, from Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office reported that only a change in Hamas’s demands regarding a possible truce in Gaza “will allow negotiations to move forward.”
“Israel did not receive in Cairo any new proposal from Hamas regarding the release of our hostages,” declared the Israeli Executive. He added: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel will not give in to Hamas’s delusional demands.”
Benjamin Netanyahu warned that there will be no agreement with Hamas until the terrorists modify their truce proposal (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
On Tuesday, CIA Director William Burns and Israeli spy service Mossad Director David Barnea attended talks in the Egyptian capital, but there was no sign of a breakthrough. Negotiations continued on Wednesday at a lower level, as violence continued in the Gaza Strip and on the Israeli border with Lebanon, where fighting has intensified since the war began.
According to the Israeli press, Netanyahu ordered his delegation not to return to negotiations unless Hamas gives in on its demands.
There is a wide gap between the conditions presented by the parties. Netanyahu said the war will continue until “total victory” over Hamas and the return of all hostages is achieved.
The terrorist group, meanwhile, maintained that it will not release the captives until Israel ends the military escalation, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners. In fact, one of the main obstacles in the negotiations continues to be the number of prisoners that Hamas asks Israel to release from its jails, in principle more than 1,000, in exchange for the 134 hostages, at least thirty of them dead.
Representatives of the relatives of those kidnapped announced protests this Thursday in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, considering the lack of Israeli cooperation as a “death sentence” for their loved ones, as they denounced today in a statement.
(With information from EFE and AP)
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