Axios: ‘Israel’ will not accept Hamas request for written commitment

The director of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency David Barnea told mediators that “Israel” will not accept Hamas’ request for a written commitment regarding ceasefire negotiations in the second phase of the proposed deal, Israeli officials told Axios.

Senior Israeli officials said that the major gap that has been unresolved between the two sides revolves around the framework of Article 14 of the Israeli proposal.

The clause concerns the duration of negotiations that the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli occupation are supposed to start during the first stage of the agreement. These negotiations should lead to an agreement on the terms of the second phase of the agreement. 

The original language of Article 14, states that mediators, including the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, will “make every effort” to ensure this round of negotiations ends in an agreement and the ceasefire continues as long as the negotiations continue. 

Hamas demanded that the mediators not only “make every effort” but “ensure” that negotiations end in an agreement. 

A US official told Axios that the Biden administration suggested a compromise and offered the use of the word “undertake,” which it views as less binding than the word “ensure” and more binding than “make an effort.”

However, Hamas has insisted on several occasions that it wants the guarantees of mediators to be inked into the deal, in clear language that ensures the other side’s commitment to the deal’s clauses. 

Israeli negotiators believe that if such wording was included in the deal, the Palestinian Resistance could conduct negotiations in the second phase indefinitely. This would then make it very difficult for Israeli occupation forces to resume their attacks on the Gaza Strip if negotiations fail, as it would be viewed as a breach of the agreement. 

What to expect next

According to Israeli officials, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Doha, Qatar, where mediated negotiations are taking place, to join the talks. Bruns will meet with the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, Mossad director Barnea, and the head of the Egyptian intelligence service. 

This will coincide with another trip of Israeli negotiators, who will also travel next week to Doha to resume negotiations, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced.

Moreover, the Egyptian Al Qahera News TV said that the Israeli and US delegations will discuss the outstanding issues that may lead to a ceasefire agreement. 

An Israeli official said that the “expert level” Israeli delegation will head to Doha to delve into the remaining implementation issues. 

This will include a timetable for Israeli occupation forces’ redeployment in the Gaza Strip, the identity and sequence of the Palestinian detainees who will be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the captives, and whether the Israeli occupation will be able to veto the release of some detainees. 

Hamas will continue to conduct talks with Egyptian mediators, according to the Egyptian outlet.