Crescent International
The Islamic resistance movement Hamas has declined to participate in yet another round of meaningless ceasefire talks that are being held in Doha, Qatar today (August 15).
A day before the talks were to resume, Hamas spokesmansaid the resistance movement would “not engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”.
While he did not shut the door completely on negotiations, Hamas pointed out that there is a US-mediated ceasefire proposal which it had accepted last May.
In early May, Hamas accepted a US-mediated ceasefire proposal presented by CIA director Bill Burns.
Leading indirect talks with Hamas, Burns said it had been cleared with the Israelis.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators are also involved in the negotiations communicating messages to Hamas representatives.
The zionists denied they had agreed to the proposal as it was presented.
Benjamin Netanyahu in particular said it is not what he had agreed to.
The proposal published by Middle East Eye on May 7 was made up of three phases.
Each phase was to last for six weeks and would ultimately lead to a permanent ceasefire.
In the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza.
Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza would return to their homes unconditionally.
There would also be exchange of prisoners.
Hamas would release 33 Israeli prisoners—the elderly, women and sick—in exchange for approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The second and third phases were about complete withdrawal of all Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and the reconstruction of the bombed-out enclave.
Netanyahu’s office this is not what Israel had “agreed to”.
So, what exactly did they agree to?
On May 6, Israeli troops moved into the southern Gaza city of Rafah and sealed the border with Egypt.
This was a deliberate provocation by the zionists to sabotage the prospects of a deal.
The border has remained sealed ever since, preventing food, medicines and water from entering the besieged enclave.
Israel also insisted on keeping its troops in the Netzarim corridor that bisects northern Gaza from the south.
And it said it would not allow any Palestinians to carry weapons with them returning to their homes in the north.
These were new conditions Netanyahu inserted as part of his strategy to sabotage the negotiations.
He committed other outrageous acts.
On the night of May 26, Israeli warplanes bombed the Tal al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah killing more than 50 Palestinians.
This was supposed to be a “safe zone”.
Babies and women were burned alive.
The Israelis not only mocked beheaded Palestinian babies but claimed killing them was part of their “spiritual enlightenment”.
Such grotesque conduct can only be described as barbarism.
On May 31, US President Joe Biden announced from the White House Rose Garden that he had finally a proposal from Israel that would lead to immediate cessation of hostilities leading ultimately to a permanent ceasefire.
It was virtually identical to the one presented in early May.
Hamas said it viewed the proposal “positively”.
Israeli officials, however, made clear that they oppose the Biden draft proposal.
Netanyahu also announced that Israel intends to continue its war on Gaza and introduced new conditions for negotiations.
Even Israeli security officials have accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the negotiations to stay in power.
On August 10, Israeli warplanes bombed the Taba'een School while people were praying Fajr (early morning prayers) killing more than 100 people.
Many children were among those killed.
“Going to new negotiations allows the Occupation to impose new conditions and employ the maze of negotiation to conduct more massacres,” Senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters.
He went on: “Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution and the Biden speech and the Movement is prepared to immediately begin discussion over a mechanism to implement it,” said Abu Zuhri.
Hamas wants the mediators to come back to them with a “serious response” from Israel.
If that happens, the Islamic resistance movement says, it will meet with mediators after the August 15 session.
