1/6/2025
Political experts and analysts agreed that the ongoing negotiations on the prisoner exchange deal entered a “complex phase” after the American envoy Stephen Wittouf responded to the position of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and considered it “at all acceptable.”
The experts agreed that the new American proposal is approaching “95% of the Israeli conditions,” as explained by the academic and expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, noting that Israel has expressed its approval of this proposal.
In this context, the first researcher at the Al -Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Mehqa Makki, confirmed that this plan I want to be adjustable, at least by Hamas, while it was agreed in Israel about it before it was presented.
Witkev had expressed his refusal to respond to Hamas to his recent proposal regarding the ceasefire in Gaza.
On Saturday evening, Witkeov said on the X platform, “Hamas’s response is completely unacceptable, and only leads to retreat,” stressing the need for the movement to agree to the framework that Washington put forward as a basis for starting convergence talks, which can be initiated immediately during the next week.
On the Israeli side, Dr. Mustafa pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court – did not want to say yes officially to this proposal.
According to the same spokesman, Hamas’s refusal of the proposal freed the Israeli government from the pressure it had regarding accepting the deal, specifically the pressure by the Israeli right.
Dr. Mustafa stressed that Netanyahu will come out and say, “It is Hamas who refused, and that Israel was waiting for Hamas’s response,” noting that this situation helps Netanyahu claim that Hamas has failed this proposal.
American mediation
Regarding the role of American mediation, Dr. Makki pointed out that the United States is not a fair mediator or an offense, but it is the capable mediator, stressing that the Americans tend to Israel even though they consider themselves in the middle.
In light of this bias, Makki saw that the resistance has two difficult options, either to refuse or accept the proposal as it is, indicating that acceptance of the initiative is as it makes Hamas or the resistance as if it is walking in the dark.
On the military level, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al -Duwairi, stressed that there are factors governing the method of managing the battle, pointing to the painful strikes directed by the occupation to resist in leadership and the first grade.
However, the military expert made it clear that the resistance is still able to continue, because it followed a different military approach, no longer made the open military confrontation, and adopted the guerrilla war through the implementation of the ambushes.
On the other hand, Al -Duwairi pointed out that the weakness of the resistance is neither in the equipment nor in men, but rather in the suffering of the people, indicating that Israel focuses on separating the resistance and the population, not only the spatial and geographical, but the separation of them in terms of hunger.
Regarding the future of the negotiations, Makki stressed that Witkeov said with the text, “If the enthusiasm of the proposal refuses, this refusal will bring us back, but it will not end the issue,” noting that this means that he will return to negotiate again.
