‘Hamas will not agree to a deal’ unless ceasefire on table, expert says • FRANCE 24 English

‘Hamas will not agree to a deal’ unless ceasefire on table, expert says • FRANCE 24 English

speak to Scott Lucas a professor of international politics at the University of Dublin hello to you and thank you for speaking to France 24 um this week we saw Egyptian and American mediators signal that there were signs of compromise what odds would you give the parties uh to reach a deal well and I need to explain why given all the chatter that we are supposedly nearing a possible ceasefire uh we have been here before remember as we’re in the eth month of these mass killings from Israel to Gaza there has been repeated talk about discussions in Egypt in Qatar and that the sides might reach a deal and then everything falls back and on this occasion I must be very honest with your viewers Hamas will not agree to a deal unless at the end of the three phases there is a ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops Israel and I must repeat Benjamin netanyahu’s office is not offering a ceasefire all they’re offering is a bit of a pause so that some hostages Reports say 33 hostages can be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in uh Israeli jails the statement that came out two hours ago from an Israeli official probably from netanyahu’s office and I need to read this which makes the position clear Israel will under no circumstances agree to the end of the war as part of an agreement to release our hostages the Israeli Defense Forces will enter Rafa and destroy the remaining common battalions there with or without a temporary respit in other words even if this deal was reached for a pause what netanyahu’s office is saying is we will go ahead with that operation to assault Rafa which is where of course as You’ noted more than one million Gins are trying to find some Shelter From the yeah but we heard from the US Secretary of State Anthony blinkin saying moving forward with that ground assault of Rafa would not be acceptable are the red lines of us support for Israel I think that’s the open question because we have seen uh the Israeli War cabinet test the American supposed red lines before the Americans told the Israelis last Autumn as well as the International Community don’t go in with a ground offensive the Israelis did so the Americans told the Israelis don’t expand the offensive across all of Gaza at the end of 2023 the Israelis did so uh the Americans have said okay you really shouldn’t keep killing Aid workers after the deaths of seven from World Central Kitchen but of course the Israelis made a token move on Aid and have continued their military assault it could be a red line if this operation is launched into Rafa that finally the Americans would start to withdraw military support from Israel rather than increase it but at this point I think nanyo at the very least is using the threat as a sort of Damocles over the Americans which is saying don’t force us into a ceasefire deal I don’t like because I will always attack Rafa if I’m irritated and if I think I need to do so and in that case would the blood beond the hands of Netanyahu or the Americans if the Rafa assault moves forward I I think everybody is complicit in terms of where we’ve gotten as you talk about more than a thousand killed in Israel more than almost 355,000 killed in Gaza I think Kamas is complicit because they carried out the attacks on October 7th that started the current cycle of violence I think the Israelis are not just complicit I think they are in fact on the brink of possibly being committing war crimes with their mass killings and I think the Americans have allowed the Israelis to carry out those killings by giving them just enough political space to continue until there is a firm line from the International Community Americans Europeans rest of the world which says to Hamas what you did was unacceptable you cannot be legitimate in terms of ruling Palestine by doing this and at the same time tell benam and Netanyahu and the and the Israeli War cabinet you cannot be legitimate in the eyes of the world if you carry on these military operations until the International Community says that and backs it up you and I will be having the same discussion probably next month and the month after that and what impact of these student protests we’re seeing them around the world notably in the US this Saturday the Washington Post also publishing a report saying that Democrats are bracing for massive protests at the party’s August convention in Chicago could these protests whether it’s to divest from Israel or or or or push for a ceasefire could they have any impact on the Biden Administration in this election year absolutely I mean I at the end of last year my my personal belief and I made it clear then is is that if the mass killing stopped in Israel and in Gaza by the spring this spring then this story would drop down the newspapers it would drop down uh the uh the TV broadcast and there would not be an effect on the 2024 elections but if this goes into the Autumn if this goes into the Autumn then it is corrosive and it just so happens it’s the party in power that bears the responsibility so it will be far more damaging to Biden than it will be to Donald Trump Professor thank you very much for your time Scott Lucas speaking to us from Birmingham thank you

A Hamas delegation heads to Cairo on Saturday as pressure mounts to reach a truce deal. “Hamas will not agree to a deal unless at the end of the three phases there is a ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops,” said Scott Lucas, professor of US and International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College. Meanwhile “Israel will under no circumstances agree to the end of the war as part of an agreement to release hostages,” Lucas stressed.
#Israel #Hamas #talks

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