‘Lack of Trust’, Israeli ‘Unwillingness to Compromise’ Puts Gaza Talks in Hard to Break Stalemate
18:53 GMT 19.08.2024 (Updated: 19:10 GMT 19.08.2024)
© AP Photo / Jehad Alshrafi
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Conflicting reports have emerged on the state of negotiations between the Israeli government and Hamas on a ceasefire deal for Gaza, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed to a hostages-for-truce "bridging proposal," but Hamas saying Tel Aviv has added "non-starter" conditions to a proposed agreement.
"In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal," Blinken told reporters Monday after meeting Netanyahu during his trip to Israel.
It's now up to Hamas to agree, after which the US, Egypt and Qatar will be able to work out mutually agreeable understandings about each side's implementation of commitments, Blinken said.
On Sunday, Hamas said that Netanyahu had tacked deal-breaking new conditions on to the proposed ceasefire-hostage swap arrangement that had been negotiated in Doha last week.
"The new proposal meets Netanyahu's conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Junction (which separates the north and south of the Gaza Strip), the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor [a strip of territory separating Egypt from Gaza, ed.]," Hamas said in a statement.
"He also set new conditions in the hostage swap file and retracted from other terms, which obstructs the completion of the deal," Hamas added, accusing the Israeli prime minister of "once again" putting "obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement, setting new conditions and demands to sabotage the mediators' efforts and prolong the war."
Hamas reiterated its readiness to support an agreement on the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735, passed in June and proposing a three-phase hostage and permanent ceasefire agreement and reconstruction plan.
“The negotiations between Hamas and Israel have likely faltered due to irreconcilable differences in their core demands, particularly concerning the conditions for a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” German Institute for Global and Area Studies research fellow Houssein Al Malla told Sputnik.
Specifically, Israel wants the "complete and unconditional" release of its hostages, while Hamas may want a "significant relaxation" of Israel's blockade of Gaza, and security guarantees for its leadership and the population of Gaza, something Tel Aviv may not be eager to do, the observer believes.
“According to recent reports from Turkish diplomatic sources, Israel has not even responded to the proposals from mediators in last week's talks, which underscores the lack of engagement. Israel’s demands, which reportedly include maintaining control over strategic corridors in Gaza, vetoing 100 names from a list of prisoners Hamas wants to be released, and the forced exile of 200 Palestinians, are far more severe than what was previously agreed upon in international forums,” Al Malla said.
“These conditions are seen by Hamas as non-starters, reflecting Israel’s focus on security and control, while Hamas insists on conditions that would alleviate the suffering of Gazans without compromising their position. This fundamental mismatch in expectations has brought the negotiations to the brink of collapse,” the observer emphasized.
“Another significant sticking point could be the sequence of actions. Israel likely insists on hostages being released before any easing of military actions or blockades, while Hamas may demand simultaneous actions or upfront concessions. These divergent priorities and a lack of trust make it challenging for either side to agree on terms that satisfy their strategic and political needs,” Al Malla added.
Netanyahu's approach, as described by Hamas, suggests a "strategic unwillingness" to compromise, at least under the present circumstances, according to the observer.
"By putting forth conditions that Hamas finds unacceptable, Netanyahu could be signaling a few things: a desire to maintain domestic political support, particularly among right-wing factions that view any concession to Hamas as a sign of weakness; a determination to maintain pressure on Hamas to avoid setting a precedent of making concessions under duress; and a recognition that any perceived compromise could embolden Hamas or other groups in the region," Al Malla said.
Despite the setbacks and roadblocks in talks, media reports on negotiations have remained optimistic, but may have been influenced by efforts by the US and others to frame them in a positive light.
"The discrepancy between public optimism and the actual state of negotiations could also be due to a lack of transparency or a misunderstanding of the depth of the demands from both sides. The media's hopefulness may have been fueled by the international community's desire for a resolution, which often leads to an overly optimistic interpretation of complex and volatile negotiations," Al Malla said.
The positive framing may also be a message to Israel's other regional adversaries, the observer believes.
"By spreading the narrative that the negotiations are going smoothly and are nearing fruition, the West (mostly represented by the U.S.) would be sending signals to any external actors (such as Hezbollah or Iran) to be wary of making any additional moves that would let the media frame them as 'the reason' the negotiations did not succeed as expected. In a sense, the 'positive framing' here was a deterrent, especially for Iran, which was planning to avenge the death of [Hamas Politburo chief and top negotiator] Ismail Haniyeh," Al Malla said.
Asked about possible solutions or way out of this deadlock, the observer suggested that the "only way forward" that he can see "involves re-calibrating the negotiation framework to address the core security concerns of Israel while also meeting Hamas' humanitarian and political demands. A phased approach could help break the deadlock. This might involve an initial agreement on less contentious issues, such as the release of vulnerable hostages and limited easing of the blockade, with the more challenging issues left for subsequent negotiations."
The Gaza-Israel conflict that began on October 7, 2023 after Hamas's surprise incursion into southern Israel from Gaza is now the deadliest Palestinian-Israeli conflict since Israel's inception in 1948, claiming the lives of over 40,000 people, most of them Palestinian civilians. Over 700 Israeli soldiers and police officers and nearly 900 civilians have also been killed to date, some as a result of the implementation of the Hannibal Directive — which authorizes the IDF to use all force deemed necessary to prevent an adversary from taking hostages.
