The leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar are making an urgent effort to conclude protracted negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas, saying “it is time to release the hostages, initiate the ceasefire and implement this agreement.”
In a statement on Thursday (8), US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani called on the two sides “to resume urgent discussions in Doha or Cairo to close the remaining gaps” and “start implementing the agreement without further delay.”
They set an August 15 date for talks between Israel and Hamas and said they would present a mediation proposal if necessary.
Washington, Cairo and Doha are seeking to add urgency to negotiations that have failed to produce a breakthrough and suffered a setback after the assassination in Iran of Ismail Haniyeh, who was Hamas’s chief negotiator. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for his death.
Tehran has vowed to retaliate for his killing, as well as that of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, which Israel carried out in response to an attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month that killed 12 young men.
The US has warned Tehran that a significant strike on Israel risks ruining ceasefire talks in Gaza and tipping the region into all-out war.
“The consequences of a direct attack could be quite significant, including for Iran, its economy and everything else,” a senior U.S. administration official said. “We are doing everything we can to deter such an attack, defeat it if it occurs, and also demonstrate to Iran that there is a better path forward than a military strike.”
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has grown increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who they feel has taken a series of actions that have jeopardized a ceasefire agreement.
Biden had publicly endorsed a phased cease-fire deal in late May and pressed Netanyahu to move forward on the proposal when he visited Washington in July.
Israel’s prime minister then returned home and hardened his stance on the deal; assassinations in Beirut and Tehran occurred shortly thereafter.
While the US, Qatar and Egypt do not expect Hamas and Israel to be ready to sign a deal when they meet in Cairo or Doha next Thursday, they hope to bring everyone together in one place to resolve the “four or five issues” on which the parties are still far apart.
Israel said late Thursday it would send mediators to the Aug. 15 talks.
“There needs to be a way forward here. We have lives at stake, particularly the hostages,” the senior U.S. official said. “It’s time to resolve this.”
With information from the Financial Times
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/08/09/acordo-a-vista-potencias-intensificam-cessar-fogo-em-gaza/
