US ups pressure on Israel and Hamas, but no breakthrough in sight
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 7, for his third meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump this year, Israeli and U.S. officials told media outlets.
The trip will come exactly two weeks after Israel and Iran agreed to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire to stop a 12-day Israeli air campaign, which was topped off by U.S. strikes that destroyed the Iranian nuclear program.
Netanyahu’s visit is expected to see a victory lap by the two leaders but will also include serious discussions on a range of simmering issues.
A U.S. official told The Times of Israel that Gaza and Iran would be the main issues and emphasized that President Trump is keen on ending the war and releasing the remaining Israeli hostages.
The success of a larger, highly ambitious plan, on which the two administrations reportedly agreed in principle, hinges on the future of the Gaza War.
Strategic Affairs Minister and close Netanyahu aide, Ron Dermer, already traveled to Washington several days ago and is meeting with top officials for preparatory discussions.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized Trump’s desire to end the war in a recent statement, adding he was in constant communication with Israeli leaders over the issue.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end,” Leavitt said.
While in the U.S., Dermer is trying to “to press the Americans to press the Qataris to press Hamas” to agree on more concessions in the talks that have reportedly not progressed significantly, despite the pressure.
“Qatar is the key,” an official in Netanyahu’s office told the Times of Israel. “We are hoping that there will be a breakthrough very soon. It depends on Hamas.”
Meanwhile, Israel is trying to advance its military operations in the enclave, the official added. “We are continuing to progress and deepen the ground maneuver, to pressure Hamas until it agrees to a deal or until we defeat it.”
Another Israeli official told Ynet News, “We are still far from a hostage deal. We hope that Dermer will succeed in building something with the Americans.”
While Dermer and Netanyahu are subject to American pressure to end the war, there is still no unified position within the government.
A meeting on Monday evening, involving top aides and ministers convened by Netanyahu, again produced controversial discussions, but no agreement.
Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, an anonymous source told the Times.
According to leaked comments from the meetings, the Israel Defense Forces now hold between 50% and 75% of the territory in Gaza. Continuing the military operations would lead to complete Israeli control, which could necessitate the imposition of a temporary military government, which the IDF top brass has consistently rejected.
An Israeli official told Ynet News, “Occupying Gaza could endanger the hostages, and there is also disagreement on the issue at the political level.”
The Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly warned that continuing the operations in the last unoccupied areas could endanger the hostages: “There is a clash between the hostages and the continuation of the maneuver. We may endanger the hostages,” Zamir said, according to leaked quotes from the closed door meetings.
“There is more severe abuse of the hostages. Their situation is very difficult,” he added.
Further complicating things, as ever, is the obstinate refusal of any compromise by Hamas.
Sources in the terror group told Ynet News that under heavy pressure from Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. on the Hamas leadership, “the movement has returned to discussing Witkoff’s ceasefire plan for a temporary agreement, which will last 60 days.”
They added that there were only minor changes to the “Witkoff outline,” including agreement to a ceasefire while negotiations over subsequent phases continue; a massive influx of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire period; and local changes to IDF deployment to reduce friction with the local population.
However, senior Hamas official Taher al-Nounou told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Sharq that no in-person meeting with negotiators is currently scheduled but added that contacts with the mediators still continued.
Al-Nounou also reiterated his group’s opposition to disarmament or the exile of senior leaders.
Lots of assumptions!
We don’t have what Trump has in mind!
For sure Qatar must be brought down to size for it destroys Western Europe and damages the US!
“Qatar is the key” and “it depends on Hamas” are all we have to read: it is doomed to fail – and the longer Qatar can string out “negotiations,” the happier it will be. While it has its stooge Witkoff, it will hope to gull Trump. Netanyahu must say no, be prepared to act on his own.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/
SEB-
Yes …..Trump is a master of misconceptions and Deal misdirection. Trump and The PM are thinking on a far higher plane than we unpolitical tyros.
Thanks Felix for accepting my Plan. It’s the only SURE way.
Edgar
“complete area flattening rolling barrage a la WW1, beginning in the North Strip and steadily advancing to the South, giving ample time for “innocent” citizens to get to safely where they’ll be checked through by Israeli intelligence backed by a dozen Merkava tanks, and a few battalions of IDF. ”
Flattening it from the north and isolation of Hamas from the civilians to make war on false flags was the only way
After Egypt and the UN broke the Sadat treaty with Israel the opening of the southern border with Sinai was very much an option for food distribution was a real option there. Think of the number of problems that would have served.
The Gaza has been a paradise for the false flag promoting Antisemitism syndrome.
I don’t think it’s possible to know what Trump and Bibi are planning. Misdirection is a key part of their strategy.
“18. All warfare is based on deception.
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
25. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.”
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
https://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html
–
“…Like I did with Obama, I set out to understand Trump’s worldview (I paid no attention to the media) and began to read his own thoughts in his books. The first book I read was ‘The Art of the Deal’ (1987), which, contrary to his rambunctious, obnoxious, and belligerent media image, painted a portrait of a sophisticated individual who possessed deft touches inside negotiation settings; buttressed by an acute sense of detail and prey/predator like awareness of any room he stepped into.
But this only compounded the problem, where was this control during his campaign?
In search of his influences and heroes, I then came across his book, ‘Think Like a Champion’ (2009). Inside its pages, I discovered a reading list that he had compiled for aspiring entrepreneurs and a recommendation that they understand ‘The Art of War’ (5 BC). These are his observations on Sun Tzu’s classic text:…”
“How Trump used Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’ to Overcome the Media in 2016.”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-trump-used-sun-tzus-art-war-overcome-media-2016-hitesh-punja
https://youtu.be/bRu–9NwRtk?si=eargqIBNsLWcQ3By
I just can’t understand why Trump, America’s best Israeli friend ever, is pushing the PM into what is obviously a disastrous 60 day cease fire with intent to make it permanent. Also to allow Hamas to market haggle over releasing hostages in a slow trickle.
I’ve always advocated a complete area flattening rolling barrage a la WW1, beginning in the North Strip and steadily advancing to the South, giving ample time for “innocent” citizens to get to safely where they’ll be checked through by Israeli intelligence backed by a dozen Merkava tanks, and a few battalions of IDF.
This will save Jewish lives and weed out the terrorists in a way that Israel has perfected over the years,
Hamas, Islamic Jihad et al must be destroyed for ever , ground into ashes and scattered in the sea.
My fervent wish,
@Edgar
I agree. This makes no sense at all!
The only thing coming down the pike is more of the same “obstinate refusal of any compromise by Hamas.”
This being the case, Israel must take a bite out of the sour apple and decide which way to go to solve this problem.
Option 1. Try to find the hostages and rescue them from the clutches of Hamas or whoever is actually holding them, or
Option 2. Take the risk of getting them revenge-killed by the Hamas or whoever is actually holding them.
As far as option 2 is concerned, we have heard months ago that Hamas gave out the order to kill the hostages if there was a chance that they would be rescued.
At the end of the day, the chances of getting the hostages back any time soon while getting rid of the terror groups is very small. The terrorists will stretch our patience to snapping point if they can and DJT will not be able to convince them to give up and go into exile. Even if they were to go into exile, they would probably return within a week or two.
The only remaining point to highlight is that it is not only Hamas that is holding the hostages; there are other terror groups like Islamic Jihad etc. and even simple “innocent” Gazans who went along for the fun of grabbing an Israeli sex-slave. We must consider the possibility that we will not get all of them back.