“Israel and Hamas remain far apart in negotiations for a new deal to reach a truce in Gaza. I think that it's hard to square Israel's endgame. Their objective remains trying to finish off Hamas, which the US has said is impossible. Effectively, what this means is that they want to continue to bomb Gaza and further destroy it, even though they've already destroyed most of it. Hamas, on the other hand, wants a permanent ceasefire. So how do you square those two opposing aims and conditions? That's the problem right now. US is pushing hard for a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. I don't think the Israelis care so much about Ramadan. Last year, Israel was beating Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound with batons. But I think the US understands that they're going to look really bad if Israel is systematically preventing aid and bombing Palestinians during the Muslim holy month, and that's why I think they're ramping up pressure.”
06 Mar 2024
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