Antony Blinken announces ceasefire agreement with Israel – can a viable deal be reached?
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East is beginning to seem like a figment of imagination.
Mr. Blinken claims that Israel has accepted his ceasefire proposal, which he refers to as a final bridging proposal.
The issue is that it is uncertain if there is a viable proposal to accept at this point.
The harsh reality in Jerusalem is that it is hard to find anyone here who shares America’s optimism, which is becoming increasingly delusional.
In contrast to his public statements of support, many Israeli observers believe that Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a deal for political reasons and has managed to hinder progress.
He is wary that a deal would cause hardliners in his government to walk out and collapse it. He is still holding out for the diminishing possibility of achieving his overly ambitious goal of “total victory” over Hamas.
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As Nahum Barnea – one of Israel’s most respected political commentators – expressed: “What blew everything up was Netanyahu’s insistence on an Israeli military presence along the entire length of the Philadelphi corridor,” as the strip of land between Gaza and Egypt is known.
This insistence represents a significant change from what Americans negotiated two months ago and what Hamas reportedly accepted. Hamas will not agree to the plan in its current form, and Egypt is displeased with Israel remaining on the border as well.
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Blinken: ‘Netanyahu accepts ceasefire proposal’
However, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar also does not appear to desire a ceasefire. He has altered his demands, and it is believed that Hamas is on the brink of escalating its conflict, with suicide bombers like those sent to Tel Aviv on Sunday night.
If all the aforementioned is accurate, then these discussions serve mainly to maintain appearances. This is crucial because the US fears that if they completely fail, Iran and Hezbollah will act on their threat to avenge the assassinations of two senior figures.
Such a scenario would be detrimental for the region, especially if it occurs during the Democrats’ convention.
Nevertheless, engaging in discussions for the sake of it will not resolve this conflict, bring back the hostages, or alleviate the immense suffering of the people of Gaza, despite the hopeful thinking on the part of the Americans.
