War is often a means to politics, so there are many on the Israeli side and the Palestinian side rejecting the ceasefire.
Author
Khinvraj Jangid, Professor, Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) and Director, Jindal Centre for Israel Studies (JCIS), O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Summary
It seems that Israel and Hamas have a ceasefire deal on the table, and the details are missing. The United States and its allies Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have been putting all their diplomatic resources into this effort. Arab and American mediators have met several times in Cairo, Doha, Tel Aviv and even Riyadh to hammer out an arrangement that Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar of Hamas will not be able to decline. Such a deal needed the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas and a ceasefire agreement from Israel.
Qatar has been the chief mediator and host for negotiations. The formula is that Hamas will agree to release the hostages in return for the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and a six-week ceasefire. America took the burden of stopping Israel from any further ground military operation in the city of Rafah of south Gaza, withdrawing the Israeli army from Gaza and speeding humanitarian aid.
Expressing frustration over the lack of cooperation from Hamas and the Israeli government, Qatar wanted to end its mediation efforts last month. Majed Al-Ansari, advisor to Qatar’s Prime Minister and spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that every time they are close to a deal, there is sabotage from both sides. Soon after, the negotiations shifted from Doha to Cairo, and Egypt took over as mediator. Whether in Cairo or Doha, America, Egypt, and Qatar are the trio of mediators desperate for a breakthrough. Much to their credit, they have successfully kept the negotiations alive, even after hitting constant dead ends.
Published in: The Indian Express
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