The first phase of the deal between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and exchange of captives is set to expire on Saturday, March 1, after what is supposed to be the final exchange on Thursday of the bodies of four Israeli captives for the freedom of several hundred Palestinians held by Israel. But, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in an active campaign to sabotage the internationally brokered deal that officially went into effect on January 19, the future of the deal is anything but certain.
Negotiations over the implementation of the second phase of the deal—which stipulates the Israelis must withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt at the end of Phase 1—were scheduled to begin no later than February 3, but Netanyahu refused to authorize Israeli negotiators to begin talks. Instead, Netanyahu traveled to Washington, D.C. where he was the first foreign leader to meet with newly re-elected President Donald Trump. At their joint press conference, Trump made his surprise announcement that he intended to seize Gaza as a U.S. territory and build it up as a “Middle East Riviera.” Since that visit, Netanyahu has escalated his threats to resume a full-scale war in Gaza while grudgingly continuing to participate in weekly exchanges of Israeli captives for Palestinians snatched or imprisoned by Israel. …more