An “extraordinarily generous” proposal from Israel. For US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Saudi Arabia yesterday, the draft on the table of the indirect negotiations underway in Cairo between Hamas and Israel includes concessions that could be decisive for the “yes” of the Palestinian terrorists. Egypt said it was optimistic and an Israeli delegation made up of representatives of Mossad, IDF and Shin Bet could leave for the Egyptian capital today, which is also an encouraging sign, but it is impossible to know if it will be decisive. Hamas will make its decision in these hours and a green light would lead to an initial truce of a few weeks, one day for each hostage released. We hope for about forty days of respite, about six weeks, for 33 free hostages. We are working on a number between 20 and 33 kidnapped people (with priority given to women, the sick, the elderly and those over 50), also in exchange for the release of a first group of Palestinian detainees. Israel initially asked for 40 free hostages, a step backwards, among others, which explains the “generosity” of which Blinken speaks, but also the belief that of the 133 kidnapped in Gaza, after 206 days, one hundred would already be dead. The second phase would include the return of the other hostages, including the captured soldiers and the bodies of those who did not survive, as well as the release of a second group of Palestinian prisoners, among whom there may be those convicted of terrorism. The Palestinians would also be granted the move towards northern Gaza, which Hamas has been asking for for some time, and a gradual, limited withdrawal of the IDF from some positions in the Strip. Regarding the complete stop of hostilities, Israel will grant it only after having achieved all objectives.
The head of American diplomacy, on his seventh trip to the region, worked yesterday from Riyadh for the ceasefire in the Strip but also for long-term plans. The security pact between the United States and Saudi Arabia which includes the normalization of relations with Israel is “almost concluded” – he announced. Washington is committed to a solution that leads to a Palestinian state after the end of the war. A commitment also announced by the EU “Foreign Minister” Josep Borrell, according to which several European countries will recognize the Palestinian state by the end of May. The US Secretary of State, who met Crown Prince Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, discussed this, as well as the future government of Gaza, with Saudi Foreign Minister Bin Farhan, before arriving today in Jordan and Israel .
Now, however, the urgency is the conflict in the Strip. From the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, the Saudi capital where Blinken also met with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to avoid a worsening of the crisis, the US Secretary of State urged Hamas, urged it to “decide soon” and reiterated that the Palestinian group is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire. If an agreement is not reached, Israeli plans for a large-scale offensive in Rafah could materialise, while the city in the south of the Strip is already being hit from the air, like Gaza City, in raids which yesterday left around 30 dead, leading to almost 35 thousand victims. Blinken underlines the strong American opposition to the offensive in Rafah, especially because the US “has not yet seen the plans for the evacuation” of the million and a half civilians in the area, for whom a humanitarian disaster looms. “They have assured us that they will not go to Rafah until we have had a chance to truly share our perspectives and concerns with them,” the White House said.
The outcome of the negotiations with Hamas will be decisive. But there is a strong fear. The Israeli government risks having the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials for war crimes. According to rumors, after Israel’s “relentless telephone pressure”, Washington is attempting “a desperate diplomatic effort” to avoid “a serious deterioration in Israel’s international status”.
There are fears that the arrest warrants will scuttle the truce.
