The proposal, sent to Hamas through negotiators, would begin with a temporary six-week cease-fire that would pave the way for negotiations to eventually end the war and rebuild Gaza.
The Israeli fear is of course that Hamas will rearm during that time, and then go on to kill more. It’s going to take a period where the two do not trust each other but are not shooting if you actually want peace.
That’s why I don’t believe this will get done. I really hope I’m wrong and it all works out but I doubt Hamas agrees and I can’t blame them.
I wouldn’t release the only bargaining chip I had unless I had a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire. It’s hard to trust a side that’s been engaging in a genocide against you for decades with the support of one of the world’s super powers.
They’re being asked to release some, but not all hostages during the first phase. That leaves them with a bargaining chip until the Israeli army withdraws. Any sustainable peace is going to ultimately involve Hamas releasing all the hostages.
So there’s a lot of reason to believe that Phase II is never intended to resolve in a cease fire. Their demands in the negotiations are eliminating the group they’re negotiating with and then reestablishing the occupation of Gaza. That’s not really a negotiation.
LOL. “Bad people should be self-sacrificing for the good of others.” If we’re going to talk in such fantasies, Benjamin Netanyahu should go present himself to the people of Gaza and accept whatever judgement they believe is appropriate for his crimes against them.
Their own good too; they’ve got the capacity to have a decent life for themselves instead of living in a bunch of tunnels with occasional excursions to shoot at somebody.
Instead, Hamas is choosing to put the population of Gaza through a war.
That’s completely incorrect from the Palestinian POV. The Palestinians elected Fatah and Abbas, who had a policy of nonviolence and Israel continued to steal land and shoot Palestinians as a result. Palestinians went to the UN to complain and Israel blocked it and sanctioned Palestinians as a result. Palestinians copied Israel and elected a rightwing party Hamas, a party with a similar platform to fight back and squeeze the other side for concessions. Hamas proposed a ceasefire but Israel violated it by shelling the beach and killing a family, prompting a cycle of violence and blockade with starvation. Palestinians peacefully protested and the Israeli military shot hundreds of them. Israeli settlers engaged in a wave of pogroms in West Bank, dragging Arabs out of cars and beating them and burning down towns. (Also settler raids on Al Aqsa) The first 9 months of 2023 were the deadliest year for Palestinians in 20 years, so Hamas retaliated on October 7 as they warned they would.
Hamas has said explicitly that this was not a war they were hoping for but all their other options were closed.
I don’t treat Hamas statements of motive as being in any way accurate. Their entire reason for existence is to kill off the Israelis. They trained for this war for years and prepared by diverting a significant fraction of the Gaza economy into tunnels and weapons.
They wanted this, and they can end it by releasing the hostages and dismantling their military infrastructure.
Ahh missed that it was only some in the first phase, that makes a bit more sense and might be the difference maker.
I agree any long term peace was always going to require the release of all hostages/prisoners from both sides. Also need to end the apartheid laws in Israel and allow Palestine full rights statehood.
The Israeli fear is of course that Hamas will rearm during that time, and then go on to kill more. It’s going to take a period where the two do not trust each other but are not shooting if you actually want peace.
That’s why I don’t believe this will get done. I really hope I’m wrong and it all works out but I doubt Hamas agrees and I can’t blame them.
I wouldn’t release the only bargaining chip I had unless I had a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire. It’s hard to trust a side that’s been engaging in a genocide against you for decades with the support of one of the world’s super powers.
They’re being asked to release some, but not all hostages during the first phase. That leaves them with a bargaining chip until the Israeli army withdraws. Any sustainable peace is going to ultimately involve Hamas releasing all the hostages.
The problem is that reports (from within the Israeli media) are that Israel won’t end the war for a deal to free all the hostages. And “the war will not end until all of its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities”. And they won’t accept outside peacekeepers, they demand to maintain a role in managing Gaza’s security beyond the end of the conflict.
So there’s a lot of reason to believe that Phase II is never intended to resolve in a cease fire. Their demands in the negotiations are eliminating the group they’re negotiating with and then reestablishing the occupation of Gaza. That’s not really a negotiation.
Which is why Hamas should dismantle those capabilities and allow for election of a government which is willing to make peace as part of any deal.
LOL. “Bad people should be self-sacrificing for the good of others.” If we’re going to talk in such fantasies, Benjamin Netanyahu should go present himself to the people of Gaza and accept whatever judgement they believe is appropriate for his crimes against them.
Their own good too; they’ve got the capacity to have a decent life for themselves instead of living in a bunch of tunnels with occasional excursions to shoot at somebody.
Instead, Hamas is choosing to put the population of Gaza through a war.
That’s completely incorrect from the Palestinian POV. The Palestinians elected Fatah and Abbas, who had a policy of nonviolence and Israel continued to steal land and shoot Palestinians as a result. Palestinians went to the UN to complain and Israel blocked it and sanctioned Palestinians as a result. Palestinians copied Israel and elected a rightwing party Hamas, a party with a similar platform to fight back and squeeze the other side for concessions. Hamas proposed a ceasefire but Israel violated it by shelling the beach and killing a family, prompting a cycle of violence and blockade with starvation. Palestinians peacefully protested and the Israeli military shot hundreds of them. Israeli settlers engaged in a wave of pogroms in West Bank, dragging Arabs out of cars and beating them and burning down towns. (Also settler raids on Al Aqsa) The first 9 months of 2023 were the deadliest year for Palestinians in 20 years, so Hamas retaliated on October 7 as they warned they would.
Hamas has said explicitly that this was not a war they were hoping for but all their other options were closed.
I don’t treat Hamas statements of motive as being in any way accurate. Their entire reason for existence is to kill off the Israelis. They trained for this war for years and prepared by diverting a significant fraction of the Gaza economy into tunnels and weapons.
They wanted this, and they can end it by releasing the hostages and dismantling their military infrastructure.
Ahh missed that it was only some in the first phase, that makes a bit more sense and might be the difference maker.
I agree any long term peace was always going to require the release of all hostages/prisoners from both sides. Also need to end the apartheid laws in Israel and allow Palestine full rights statehood.
Edit:
And looks like Israel rejected it.