New details on the Gaza truce negotiations
Israeli and US officials confirmed that Mossad director David Barnea conveyed a message to mediators that Israel doesn’t accept Hamas’ request for a written commitment to the negotiations for the second phase of the agreement.
Senior Israeli officials said that the remaining gap between the parties regarding the framework of the deal focuses on Article 14 in the Israeli proposal, and it concerns the duration of the negotiations that are supposed to begin between the parties during the first phase of the agreement, in order to agree on the terms of the second phase.
According to the original language of Article 14, the United States, Qatar and Egypt will do their best to ensure that these negotiations conclude with an agreement, and that the ceasefire lasts as long as the negotiations continue.
In a response from Hamas, which was handed over to Israel on Wednesday, the group of mediators demanded that the phrase do its best be deleted and replaced by the word guarantee.
US officials reported that Washington offered a compromise and offered to use the word commitment, which it sees as less binding than the word guarantee and more binding than making every possible effort.
Israeli officials said that if the agreement included the written commitment demanded by Hamas, the group of mediators would be able to negotiate the second phase of the deal indefinitely, and it would be very difficult for Israel to resume fighting without considering it a violation of the agreement.
An Israeli official said an Israeli expert-level delegation would travel to Doha early next week to begin discussing the remaining operational issues, which include a timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the identity and sequence of Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons, and whether Israel will be able to veto the release of some prisoners.
There are conflicting opinions in Israel on a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire between the army and intelligence services on the one hand and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, with senior officials expressing outrage at the intention to thwart any possibility of a prisoner exchange deal, according to Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Israeli parties who want to reach a prisoner exchange deal expressed their anger at the statement distributed by the Prime Minister’s Office to some journalists, and published to appear to be by security sources.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also reported that all Israeli security agencies involved in negotiations with Hamas say they didn’t know about the announcement issued by Netanyahu’s office at all, nor did they say they agreed to it.
