Glimmer of light in deadlocked talks to broker ceasefire deal
WE HAVE been here before but Israelis woke up yesterday to renewed hope that a ceasefire can be brokered with Hamas and that the remaining 139 hostages held in Gaza can be returned.
Talks have been in deadlock for months as Hamas demands any deal should lead to an end to the conflict and Israel refuses to countenance anything but “total victory”. Late on Saturday night, however, it was reported that a new Israeli proposal, brokered by Egypt, includes a willingness to discuss the “restoration of sustainable calm” in Gaza after an initial release of some 20-30 hostages.
The phrasing mirrors the Islamic concept of hudna (an extended peace or calm) and may prove acceptable to both sides. The last Israel-lebanon war of 2006 was wrapped up on similarly ambiguous terms.
The Israeli proposal is understood to deal with other sticking points: it reportedly allows for Gazans to return to their homes in the north and for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza’s central corridor. It was previously reported that the number of hostages Israel is asking for in the initial phase has also been reduced.
“The proposal … includes a willingness to discuss the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire as part of the implementation of the second phase of the deal, which would take place after the release of hostages on humanitarian grounds,” reported the Axios news site yesterday, quoting Israeli officials. Hamas “should understand that it is possible that if the first stage is implemented, it will be possible to advance to the next stages and reach the end of the war”, they added.
The reported shift sparked anger from sources close Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. The new proposal, if accepted by Hamas, could spark a political crisis in Israel as the extreme Right-wing parties who prop up Mr Netanyahu’s finely balanced ruling coalition have long said they will pull out if he stops the war before Hamas is wholly defeated. However, the opposition Yesh Atid party has said it will step in and support the government if it can secure a deal to free the hostages.
Israel has been talking up its preparations for a military push into Rafah in southern Gaza, where Hamas’s last four battalions are thought to be dug in. However, it has also been feeling the heat from the United States and other allies. Only last week, the UK demanded and secured permission from Israel to inspect the makeshift prisons in which it is detaining Hamas suspects from Gaza.
Carrots are also being offered to the Israeli leadership and defence establishment. Some say the US is essentially offering Mr Netanyahu the chance to become the face of a new alliance against Iran – something he has long talked of.
“Any decision Israel makes will have far-reaching consequences for its strategic situation for many years,” posted Shay Har-zvi, a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy and Strategy. He added that a deal may pave the way for the advancement of Washington’s wider peace plan for the region, including the rebuilding of Gaza.