Israeli-Arab meetings in Rome part of Israeli attempts to delay deal
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A prominent leader in the Palestinian Resistance underlines that the talks in Rome are just an Israeli bid to delay reaching a deal.
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Palestinians walk through the destruction in the wake of an Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, May 30, 2024. (AP)
Hamas views the quadrilateral meetings held in Rome between the Israeli occupation, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt as part of a broader strategy by the Israeli regime to delay reaching a lasting agreement and gain further advantages, a high-ranking source in the Palestinian Resistance told Al Mayadeen.
The Israeli occupation is heading toward proposing a new plan that undermines what has been negotiated over the past six months, the source added.
He stated that the outcome of the Rome meetings indicates that "Israel" is not genuinely interested in the negotiation process and instead aims to intensify its criminal activities in Gaza.
The top official added that the discussions in Rome did not yield any progress, with the Israeli delegation introducing new conditions that complicate reaching an agreement.
CIA Director William Burns is scheduled to meet with officials from "Israel," Qatar, and Egypt in Italy's Rome to finalize the proposed ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement for Gaza, Axios reported on Friday citing US and Israeli officials.
Burns will sit down with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, the news site said.
Read more: Hamas unveils amendments to new ceasefire proposal
The meeting will focus on devising a strategy to advance the negotiations for a ceasefire and exchange deal, the report mentioned, noting however that there will be no discussions on the remaining unresolved issues.
"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu wants a deal that is impossible to get. At the moment, he isn't willing to move and therefore we might be headed for a crisis in the negotiations rather than a deal," an Israeli official said as per Axios.
According to Axios, Israeli negotiators were pessimistic about the outcome of the Rome conference and did not believe that pressure from Biden on Netanyahu had persuaded him to back down from some of his new, strong demands in the revised Israeli proposal.
President Joe Biden put forward a ceasefire proposal in May that included a three-phase execution plan. The US National Security Advisor stated then that Biden's proposal was in fact an Israeli one.
However, after Hamas and the involved parties agreed to the terms of the agreement, Netanyahu announced opposition to "Israel's" own deal, saying that the war on Gaza would not end until "all objectives are achieved," also rejecting to make any kind of commitment that the aggression would stop, neither orally nor written.
