Joe Biden is now pushing for a long-term ceasefire in Gaza in the name of getting Hamas to release more hostages. His CIA chief is running around the Middle East pushing this with Qatar and the Mossad.
Here’s more via i24:
Egyptian and Qatari officials told WSJ that the deal could include trading Israeli troops for up to thousands of Palestinian security prisoners
Citing Egyptian and Qatari officials, The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday stated that the hostages release deal brokers are pushing for further, long-term ceasefire extension. According to the report, such a deal “would likely require Israel and Hamas to make difficult concessions, such as trading Israeli soldiers for potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”
Furthermore, the officials told WSJ that the ongoing truce has contributed to the sense of mutual trust between the parties, needed to move ahead with further extension. Earlier on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported violation of the ceasefire by Hamas.
Later on Wednesday, Hamas was reported to be ready to extend the truce for additional ceasefire, said AFP citing a source close to the terrorist group.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday that the country was “working to strengthen the Qatari mediation role in reaching a truce and then a permanent ceasefire.”
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns’ visit to Qatar reported on Tuesday highlights seriousness of the ongoing negotiations. The CIA chief will meet the Mossad director in Doha.
Burns is also to meet with Qatar’s PM “to build on the progress of the current agreement and to initiate further discussions about the next phase of a potential longer-term ceasefire,” WSJ cited a person briefed on the visit.
The Jerusalem Post noted that Blinken is also headed to the region for these discussions:
Talk about a possible deal for all the hostages, including soldiers, came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to visit the region in the coming days and the security cabinet held a late-night meeting in Tel Aviv.
Discussions are already underway in Qatar to extend the hostage deal beyond its Thursday expiration date based on the formula by which Hamas frees 10 Israeli hostages in Gaza for every 24 hours of quiet.
Mark Levin weighed in on this today, saying: “It’s clear Blinken is now pushing for a permanent Israeli ceasefire. First, Biden-Blinken place impossible and unconscionable demands on Israel’s ability to fight the war and now they’re pushing an extended ceasefire for the purpose of insisting on a permanent ceasefire (only to be broken whenever the Nazis decide). Qatar, which funds the Nazis and protects their leaders, is doing the Biden regime’s bidding. I can think of no more disastrous outcome.”
Levin is right. Biden claims Israel has a right to defend itself but now wants a long-term ceasefire, if not a permanent one. Israel needs to stand firm and reject this out of hand. Hamas will never release all of the hostages and Israel knows it.