Hostage deal talks between Israel and Hamas are at an impasse because the new US proposal submitted last week goes too far to accommodate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands, The Times of Israel reported Wednesday.
The report cited two Arab officials from a mediating country and one other official involved in the talks. One Arab official said that the talks are at such an impasse that they don’t see a point in convening another high-level meeting of negotiators in Cairo this week unless the US actually puts pressure on Netanyahu to back down on his demands.
The demands the US proposal looks to accommodate are Netanyahu’s insistence on Israel’s continued control of the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip, and the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. According to Hamas, the proposal also doesn’t include a permanent ceasefire or full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was just in Israel and met with Netanyahu. After the meeting, Blinken said that Netanyahu had accepted the US proposal and that it was now up to Hamas to agree to the deal. The Times report said that the second Arab official expressed his bewilderment at Blinken’s “repeated public insistence in recent days that Netanyahu backs the US bridging proposal, arguing that this inaccurately frames Hamas as the lone obstructionist party.”
Israeli media reported Tuesday that members of the Israeli negotiating team believe Netanyahu is trying to sabotage the chances of a deal by sticking to his demands, which is similar to what he did in the previous round of negotiations.
President Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday, and Axios reported ahead of the call that Biden was planning to urge him to show more flexibility. But there’s no sign the US is willing to use the significant leverage it has over Israel to force a deal since US military aid continues to flow.
“Too Favorable toward Israel”???……!!!
Nice reality check.
I am bewildered at the unnamed "Arab official's" bewilderment. There could be landing party of aliens tomorrow and they would understand that Blinken is Netanyahu's bitch to kick around if it needed kicking before turning over and exposing it's genitals and soft belly. And yet there are actually live humans on this planet who cannot see it while pointing at it with their noses. While holding it I'm sure.
But then that's an undeservedly positive spin on things, it is actually worse. Much worse. US's involvement in this charade is purely for domestic consumption. They want something positive sounding in the news cycle for the DNC, no matter how fake it is. Israel's involvement is to fool that small part of Israeli society that's slightly more concerned with the survival of hostages than obsessed with the eradication of Palestinians. The point of the thing is to buy more time for the Israeli to carry out their genocide unhindered, while directing the attention away from that fact. And they are succeeding.
And that could possibly answer the Fermi paradox as well. No species in the entire Universe would expose itself voluntarily to that kind of repugnantly insane biological planetary infestation.
Touché ole!
"…Blinken is Netanyahu's bitch to kick around…" That's funny. I thought Blinken is Netanyahu.
There is still another aspect to this Kabuki play. The standard US method for trying to make another state do our wishes always ranges from economic warfare via military threats to regime change. See Iran. Begin by withholding all funding and military aid to Israel.
Yeah I see what you mean. I have some trouble distinguishing between them too. There is no way to separate them based on substance and the visual clues are often inconclusive. But I found a method that's more or less reliable. The loud one who forms a chronic danger to your oesophogous by turning your stomach and throw up each time he shouts his nonsense at any face in his vincinity is Netanyahoo, the furtively mumbling whimpy one making you cringe from vicarious shame is Blinken.
Miller is worse. The smugness………
”Let it be, let it be, let it be… There will be an answer: Let it be!”
What I see is a veiled/semi-tactical withdrawal from Biden's first sensible proposal which did include a permanent ceasefire.
It was apparently necessary to produce some good news for the DNC even if that good news was wrapped in a lie.
To me it shows that Biden and Harris are desperate to look strong when, in reality, they are two groveling-before-Netanyahu weaklings.
The DNC appearance last night of the couple whose son is still held by Hamas was a spoken blow into the face of Kamala: "you are a miserable failure". You failed to get my son back. You failed to stop the mass-murder in Gaza.
Mark Thomason coined it many years ago as: "Floating Political Balloons." Since then, when a politician speaks, all I see is "Floating Political Balloons," floating out of their A$$.
I believe that the following has been the "floating balloon"which made Bibi tell Kamala "over my dead body".
It was our call for a two-state solution.
If that is what Bibi will do, it is worth a try.
"Hostage Talks at Impasse Because US Proposal Is Too Favorable Toward Israel" Shows you I know nothing. Here I thought they were "at Impasse Because" we assassinated their negotiator.
Their SECOND negotiator……………..
After the meeting, Blinken said that the US had accepted the Netanyahu proposal and that it was now up to Hamas to agree to the deal.
Fixed
Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald
How is Kamala going to have time to prepare her speech tonight when, as AOC told us, she is "working tirelessly" every day to facilitate a cease-fire deal and end the war in Gaza?
I hope she's not late to her speech because of all the delicate shuttle diplomacy she's doing.
Aug 22, 2024
This from Democracy Now: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/8/22/dnc_uncommitted_sit_in_protest
I doubt it'd be a surprise speech…! It's just glorification…!
Note that the Ceasefire Talks is gradually diminishing to only Hostage Talks to serve the Crime Minister…!
The US has NO business negotiating with a War Criminal or a State ILLEGALLY Occupying Land and certainly NO business aiding and abetting Israeli Crimes. The US has to enforce our Laws and enforce International Law and this Demon called Netanyahu would be arrested, problem solved.
Bravit Gina, Bravit!
handala says :FU! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/89acad030f2b25f5e29984312c1eeaf894cbf3be2f00dbca776dc2820962a042.png
There is really nothing to negitiate. Rather, enforcement is needed. The ICJ has decided:
ICJ determined 3 times this year: a (plausible) genocide is taking place
And…..
ICJ also opinied that:
1) Israel is an Apartheid state
2) Areas occupied since “pre-1949” need to be vacated asap
3) Reparations are due for damages etc.
Meanwhile, at the DNC carnival: Democracy Now: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/8/22/dnc_uncommitted_sit_in_protest
Seyed Mohammad Marandi
@s_m_marandi
·
6h
"In case of conflict, Iran will immediately sink these ships, hammer US bases across the region, and destroy the key infrastructure of Persian Gulf regimes that host American military or intelligence personnel.
No more oil or gas. This will crash Western economies."
Will Schryver
@imetatronink
·
Aug 20
"‼️ When Carrier Strike Group 3 (USS Abraham Lincoln) arrives in the Gulf of Oman, the US fleet will include 2 carriers; 11 guided-missile destroyers; 1 cruise missile submarine.
That adds up to slots for about 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles."
Whatever makes the WEF and their US and European government associates happy.
The Axis of Resistance will restrain themselves from launching nuclear strikes, however incorrect my opinion might be.
Once Western economies collapse, their citizens will launch decapitation strikes on favorite sons like Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer.
Waiting for Godot.