THERE is progress in negotiations to secure a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip and the release of hostages still being held, the White House said Friday.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said U.S. officials had constructive discussions Thursday night in Cairo with talks continuing there the following day.
“The negotiation process is actually moving forward. The talks are proceeding according to the agenda that we outlined earlier in terms of the next round of talks. What’s important now is that all parties are engaged in those talks and that the parties continue to work to ensure that the ceasefire is implemented,” Kirby told reporters.
Kirby denied reports that talks were nearing a standstill, saying those reports were inaccurate.
“The early signs in Cairo and these are early signs that the discussions have been constructive, but there are still further talks that will take place throughout the weekend,” he said. “We now need both sides to come together and work towards implementing a ceasefire,” he added.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday (20/8) called for an end to what he called an attempt by government chief Benjamin Netanyahu to sabotage the talks and urged Netanyahu to reach a deal now.
Read also: Ceasefire Still Stalled as Blinken Leaves Middle East
He urged Netanyahu to attend the Cairo talks in person. “The only reason he doesn’t is because he has lost his conscience.”
Asked by Anadolu that Netanyahu was negotiating in bad faith, Kirby said, “We have had constructive conversations with our Israeli counterparts in recent days,” referring to a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu on Wednesday.
“I would consider it a constructive conversation, but as I said before, I’m happy to reiterate that we are in Cairo. They are in Cairo,” Kirby said.
Read also: Netanyahu Agrees to More Talks, Five Gazans Killed in Food Aid
“We need Hamas to participate and we need to focus on the important details to get this done. That’s what we’re focused on here in the coming days throughout the weekend,” he added.
The White House said that when Biden and Netanyahu spoke, Biden stressed to Netanyahu, “urging him to finalize the ceasefire and hostage release agreement and to discuss the upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.”
The latest round of mediated negotiations ended Friday in Doha, Qatar. The US presented to the parties what the White House described as the final bridge proposal presented to Israel and Hamas. Hamas said the proposal should be consistent with the principles Biden endorsed on May 31.
A senior Biden administration official said this week’s talks would seek to conclude months of negotiations. Details of the U.S. proposal (from the Doha talks) remain classified. Hamas has since rejected it, saying it only complies with new conditions set by Netanyahu.
Read also: Hamas Discusses Gaza Ceasefire with Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye
Hamas said the proposal fits Netanyahu’s requirements and is in line with his, especially his rejection of a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Crossing, the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphia Corridor. Hamas was referring to two strips of land in Gaza, one of which was recently built by Israel and divides the coastal territory into northern and southern parts.
The Philadelphia Corridor follows the Gaza-Egypt border. The Rafah border crossing is along the Philadelphia Corridor.
Egypt has insisted that Israel withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor and the Rafah border crossing. But Netanyahu’s office said Thursday he was committed to the principle that Israel would control the corridor to prevent Hamas from rearming itself.
Hamas has long insisted on a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a permanent end to the fighting as part of any ceasefire deal. But Netanyahu has rejected those conditions, saying his forces would remain in Gaza for as long as necessary.
For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach a deal between Israel and Hamas to secure a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire, as well as to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
But the mediation efforts have stalled over Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands for an end to its attacks on the Gaza Strip. The talks come amid concerns that Iran may soon retaliate for the killing of a former Hamas political leader in Tehran late last month.
Kirby said the U.S. still believes Iran is prepared to do something if, in fact, it chooses to do so. “So we have to be ready and we are. We have strengthened our military capabilities in the region and we watch it every day,” he said.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 93,000 wounded in Gaza during Israel’s more than 10-month war, according to official figures. Most of the dead were women and children.
However, the actual death toll is feared to be much higher than the official figure. Many missing Gazans are feared to have died under millions of tons of rubble or buried in makeshift graves. (Ant/Z-2)
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