Two bad news in a few hours for the prospects of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The first came from Qatar, which decided to withdraw from its role as mediator, accusing both parties, Israel and Hamas, of not being interested in an agreement. Without Qatar, there is no longer any possible channel of discussion with Hamas, and therefore no ceasefire, no negotiated release of Israeli hostages.
Qatar is in a special position. Over the years, he has financed the Islamists of Hamas to the tune of more than a billion dollars; but he did so with the green light from Israel and the United States. The Israeli daily “Haaretz” recently recalled that in 2018, Qatar wanted to cut off supplies to Hamas, but that Israel had asked it to continue: it preferred to preserve Gaza and Hamas, as a counterweight to the West Bank and Mahmoud's Fatah. Abbas.
This paradox is often ignored by those who highlight their affinities around the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. But it is also what has allowed Qatar, for more than a year, to be an intermediary, and to receive in Doha both the head of the American CIA and that of the Israeli Mossad although it does not there are no diplomatic relations between the two States. This allowed the only ceasefire accompanied by the release of hostages, in November last year. But nothing since.
By making this coup now, Qatar refuses to take the blame for the continued failure of the negotiations. He is undoubtedly temporarily abandoning his role, pointing the finger at the real responsible: the two parties to the conflict, Palestinian Hamas and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
He says he is ready to return only if both parties are sincere in their desire to negotiate. Initial reports indicated that Qatar was demanding the closure of the Hamas office in Doha, but nothing has come to confirm what would be an even more significant break.
In fact, the coincidence between this announcement and the election of Donald Trump is undoubtedly not fortuitous, even if the leaders of Qatar had indicated their intention before the vote.
In a few days, everything changed even though Donald Trump will not take up residence in the White House until January 20. The center of power has already moved to Mar a Lago, to the president-elect. Netanyahu has already spoken to Trump three times since his victory, and is sending an envoy to discuss Iran.
The second news is the announcement of the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to the United States: his name is Yechiel Leiter, a close friend of Netanyahu with the profile of a far-right settler, formerly a member of the Kahanist movement, banned in the United States. The future ambassador lived in the Hebron settlement, the cradle of violent extremist settlers.
This choice to represent Israel to the future Trump administration sends an uncompromising signal. The future ambassador embodies a policy of continued colonization, including the annexation of the West Bank, and the categorical refusal of “two states”. A hardline policy that Netanyahu hopes to see the Trump administration support.
All these developments do not bode well for any short-term relaxation. Israeli strikes continue to cause numerous victims in Gaza – while a Netanyahu-Trump “front of refusal” is being established.
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