Israel to Send Delegation to Egypt, Qatar for Gaza Truce Talks

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Facts

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that, after speaking with the heads of the country's top intelligence agencies, he would send a delegation to Egypt and Qatar to continue negotiations to secure the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for a temporary truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners.1
  • Negotiations, which reportedly made little progress this week, come as the US and Israel increasingly focus on Gaza's post-war future. Israeli media reported on Friday that war cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot presented a proposal stressing the need to dismantle Hamas, reach a hostage deal, and establish a 'Palestinian entity' to run the strip's civil affairs.2
  • Israeli plans for Gaza's future have usually either ignored or sidelined the Palestinian Authority (PA) which partially runs the West Bank — creating tension with the US, as it has said it would like a revitalized PA to run Gaza. After facing US and international pressure, the PA announced on Thursday that it had formed a new cabinet.3
  • Regardless of plans for after the war, a US official said that most of the Gaza Strip faces a serious risk of famine, adding that famine is already 'quite possibly' present in parts of northern Gaza. The official stressed the need to get food into northern Gaza and said that, though aid distribution has improved, it is not yet enough.4
  • Israel has blamed aid agencies for the worsening humanitarian situation, saying that the problem has been the amount of aid being delivered, not Israel's security checks. On Friday, in response to a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) order, Israel said it is committed to fulfilling its humanitarian obligations.5
  • Meanwhile, tensions on the Lebanese border escalated this week, with heavy exchanges of fire across the border. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday that Israel will expand its campaign against Hezbollah, adding that Israel will reach Beirut, Damascus, and 'more distant places.'6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Jerusalem Post, 3Al Jazeera, 4The Times of Israel (a), 5New York Times and 6The Times of Israel (b).

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Voice of America. Though it must go through many changes beforehand, the only viable Palestinian political entity capable of governing Gaza after the war is the PA. Everyone can agree that the PA has many issues that must be urgently fixed, namely its corruption and the weakness of its leadership. Nonetheless, Israel cannot reoccupy the Gaza Strip, as this is both logistically and morally out of the question, and a revitalized PA will have to be created to take over Gaza's civil administration at the very least.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by JNS. Though the US may believe that it can force the PA to 'reform,' the reality is the PA is simply not a partner for peace. Like Hamas, the PA supports the destruction of Israel, teaches Palestinians to hate, and lacks democratic legitimacy. The PA would be incapable of demilitarizing Gaza or deradicalizing its population, meaning that the chance that an attack like Oct. 7 could happen again remains. Indeed, Israel may as well let Hamas stay in power if it is truly considering allowing the PA to take over Gaza the day after the war.
  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. US Pres. Joe Biden must realize what Israel and Netanyahu plan to do with Gaza after the war — change the 'facts on the ground' so that Palestinians cannot return and Gaza's beachfront real estate be transformed into luxurious Israeli settlements. At best, Biden is blind to what Israel's true desires are, and, at worst, fully complicit in Gaza's ethnic cleansing. Israeli officials continue to openly say what they want to do with Gaza and the Palestinian people, yet all the US can do is express concern. These crimes must end.
  • Narrative D, as provided by Al Mayadeen. Hezbollah and the regional resistance will only end their attacks when Israel's war in Gaza ends and it withdraws its forces. Indeed, the resistance's primary goal is to end the war in Gaza, not start a far larger regional war. Foreign powers believe they can dictate to Hezbollah how it deals with Israel's aggression and impose concessions regarding the status of Lebanon's southern border. However, Hezbollah has the leverage needed to ensure that Lebanon gains if any agreement is reached.

Predictions