With a shaky Hezbollah cease-fire and threat from incoming Domnald Trump?
Qatar is back trying to get some sort of Hamas/Israeli cease-fire…
Trump’s envoy to the Middle East is ALREADY at work….
A Hamas official said Thursday that international mediators have resumed negotiating with the militant group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war was within reach.
Ceasefire negotiations were halted last month when Qatar suspended talks with mediators from Egypt and the United States because of frustration over a lack of progress between Israel and Hamas. But there has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release hostages from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, according to Bassem Naim, an official in Hamas’ political bureau who spoke with The Associated Press in Turkey.
Another official familiar with the talks confirmed the return of Qatari mediators. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with the media.
Since the talks broke down, there have been significant shifts in the global and regional landscape. Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, and a ceasefire was declared last week between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump is a staunch supporter of Israel, but Naim said he believes the incoming administration could “affect the situation positively” given that Trump had made halting wars in the region part of his campaign platform. Trump this week called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza by the time he takes office on Jan. 20, saying there would be “hell to pay” if that doesn’t happen…
…
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met separately in recent weeks with Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss Gaza ceasefire talks, according to a U.S. official who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
In an interview with British broadcaster Sky News on Wednesday, the Qatari prime minister said officials in his country are aiming to reach a ceasefire before president-elect Trump takes office…
…
Naim said Hamas is sticking to the core demands it has held to during previous rounds of negotiations, including a permanent ceasefire, total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the right of internally displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes. But he also said the Palestinian militant group is “ready to show flexibility” on implementation, including on the timeline for withdrawal of Israeli forces from key parts of Gaza…
Note….
I am NOT covering the Syria spin off conflict here at this time……
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.