Joe Biden’s outgoing administration is working to secure an 11th-hour agreement on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas—one which could weaken Israel’s hand and allow its main enemy in Gaza to survive and even prosper.
The “final round” of talks is said to have started today, and could result in the freeing of Israeli hostages (women and children first, to be followed by men later, and ultimately the bodies of the deceased) taken during the October 7th terror attacks, in exchange for the release, of confirmed hundreds, potentially of a thousand Palestinian prisoners—or terrorists, depending on your standpoint—and for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
Hamas officials appear optimistic, boasting on Monday that Palestinian prisoners would soon be freed. One figure from the terrorist organisation was also cited in The New York Times noting that progress had been made “on all issues” and that Israel was the more likely of the two sides to make concessions.
Just as Biden and others involved are hoping that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to sign a deal within the next seven days, some Jerusalem lawmakers are urging against this change in course.
National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said yesterday that the deal is “terrible” because
it includes the release of hundreds of murderous terrorists from prisons, the return of Gazans, including thousands of terrorists, to the northern Gaza Strip, withdraws the IDF from the Netzarim axis, and returns the threat to the residents of the encirclement—thus effectively erasing the war achievements that have been achieved with much blood by our fighters, so far, in the Gaza Strip.
“Not only that, it does not lead to the release of all the hostages, and seals the fate of the remaining hostages who are not included in the deal to death,” he added.
Ben-Gvir insisted that both he and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich would resign if the ceasefire takes effect. Smotrich, in turn, described the deal as a “catastrophe for the national security of the State of Israel.”
In America, defence policy analyst Frank Gaffney accused “anti-Israeli officials” in Biden’s top team of trying to force “Israel into making a ceasefire with Hamas that will save that terrorist organisation.” That will, in effect, give it the “victory.”
Though also clear to have played a role in the possible success of this deal is incoming president Donald Trump’s recent warning that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if Israeli hostages are not released by the time he enters office. (Trump did, however, make it quite clear that the trouble would be for Hamas.)
One Israeli official even told The Wall Street Journal that it was “the Trump effect” which had (potentially) sealed the deal, adding that whether it passes before he enters office or not, “Trump is going to get credit either way.” Some reports certainly suggest that the top Republican’s team has worked harder to get this over the line, despite warnings the deal could come back to haunt Trump.
Biden said he was “pressing hard” to secure the deal, while one Israeli official said negotiators were “still not in the stage of final closure,” leaving observers little option but to wait.
