GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 241

A Failure In Communication

Different Interpretations

“What we've got here is failure to communicate.” That’s a famous line from a movie called “Cool Hand Luke” and according to a report from i24news.tv the United States and Israel disagree on one part of the deal hammered out and announced on Friday of last week:

In a TV report by Channel 12 on Monday evening, the ambiguously worded Clause 14 in Israel's latest hostage deal proposal has been identified as the central point of contention between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden.

This follows Netanyahu's statement to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, asserting that "the proposal that [U.S. President Joe] Biden presented is incomplete," and highlighting "gaps" between the Israeli version and Biden’s interpretation.

Over the weekend in an interview with US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that they characterized the deal correctly. So who is right? The report adds some more context for us:

Clause 14, concerning the transition from Phase 1's ceasefire to Phase 2's permanent cessation, reads: "All the processes on which there is agreement in Phase 1 of the deal, including the cessation of military activities by both sides and the other summaries, will continue in Phase 2, as long as the negotiations on implementing Phase 2 continue."

The clause's vague wording allows for dual interpretations.

And that wording is at the heart of the differences in communication:

According to the TV report, Biden’s understanding, as stated in his address, is that the ceasefire will persist as long as negotiations continue, even if they extend beyond the initial six weeks allocated for Phase 1.

Conversely, Israel interprets the clause to mean that if negotiations are not conducted genuinely, or if there are manipulations, fighting can resume.

The two sides doubled down on their interpretations of that clause:

Biden emphasized in his address, “If Hamas fails to fulfill its commitments under the deal, Israel can resume military operations.”

Netanyahu, speaking in a closed-door Knesset committee session, reiterated Israel's intention to resume military operations at the end of Phase 1, which Channel 12’s source suggests could provoke Hamas's Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar to derail the deal.

Israel won’t get everyone back who was taken hostage including the remains of bodies until the last phase of the proposed deal:

The Phase 1 deal, as outlined by Biden, involves the release of hostages categorized under humanitarian grounds, including women soldiers, elderly men, the ill and wounded, and the bodies of some deceased hostages.

Phase 2 would see the release of male soldiers and other men, with the remaining bodies of dead hostages to be returned in Phase 3.

Who is right? In my opinion, what Netanyahu says goes since he’s the one defending his nation.

The US administration can talk, but since they have less skin in the game Israel’s stance prevails.

The Only Roadblock

In an article published in The Jerusalem Post we read that the US believes that Hamas is holding up the ceasefire deal proposed late last week:

Hamas is blocking a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller said as the death of four captives was announced and Israeli politicians Monday sharply debated the next steps in the war.

“To be clear, the roadblock right now to a ceasefire is not Israel, the roadblock to a ceasefire is Hamas,” Miller stated.

He lashed out at the terror group as Washington and Jerusalem waited for Hamas to respond to a three-phase Israeli proposal, which US President Joe Biden unveiled publicly on Friday.

“The world should know, the Palestinian people should know, that the only thing standing in the way of an immediate ceasefire today is Hamas,” Miller said.

Miller said what many have noted and that this deal is what was on the table months ago and Hamas apparently agreed to:

The proposal on the table is nearly identical to what Hamas said it would accept just a few weeks ago, Miller said, adding that it is now time for it to act.

“It is time for them [Hamas] to accept the deal. It is time to finalize this agreement and put an end to the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said.

Hamas should “not move the goalposts now and try to walk away from it,” Miller stated.

He said this as news of four hostages were declared dead

He spoke as the IDF announced the death in captivity of four of the remaining 124 hostages seized on October 7; Nadav Popplewell, 51, Amiram Cooper 84, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Chaim Peri, 80.

Their deaths were a sharp reminder of the human cost of the delay in making a deal, an argument relatives of the captives and the Hostages Families Forum have made daily with protests demanding a deal now, even if it means ending the war.

Lost again in all these talks are that it was an international crime for Hamas to even take the hostages and they should be held to account just for that. And talk of Israel committing genocide is ludicrous in light of there even being hostages and the stated goal of these terrorists that they want to kill all Jews in the world and take the land for themselves.

Biden Wants Pressure On Hamas

As an article from The Times Of Israel informs us, the US wants Qatari leader to push Hamas to agree to the deal on the table:

US President Joe Biden urged Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “to use all appropriate measures to secure Hamas’s acceptance of the deal,” the White House says in a readout of their call earlier today.

The two leaders “confirmed that the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table offers a concrete roadmap for ending the crisis in Gaza,” the White House says.

The US is still saying that Israel is ready to implement phase one:

Biden “confirmed Israel’s readiness to move forward with the terms that have now been offered to Hamas” and “emphasized that this is the best possible opportunity for an agreement and that Hamas’s ongoing refusal to release hostages would only prolong the conflict and deny relief to the people of Gaza,” the readout continues.

As the report states, all sides are waiting on Hamas now:

The president reiterated that the US, Egypt, and Qatar are committed to “the full implementation of the entire agreement.”

Biden said, “Hamas is now the only obstacle to a complete ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza,” the readout adds, noting that the president thanked the emir for Qatar’s efforts to secure a deal.

The US also wants Turkey to push Hamas to agree to the deal:

Separately today, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held a phone call with a top aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Sullivan “underscored the urgent need for Hamas to accept Israel’s proposal to bring about an immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal,” the White House says in a readout of the call with Akif Cagatay Kilic.

It seems like the US really wants this war to end as we head into the summer months just before a presidential election. It’s like they want to say that they ended the war and if negotiations fail they can blame Hamas, Israel or both. It is odd that they keep saying the they want Hamas to be destroyed from one side of their mouth while wanting the war to stop and allow them to live. Sometimes I think people aren’t actually listening to what both sides are saying because I for one am and I can say it again that even if somehow the first phase of this deal starts it will not continue long once Hamas starts reneging on it just as they did with all the other agreements they approve. I know that sounds bad, but their history speaks for itself.