Thursday, August 14, 2014

Why are Hamas and Islamic Jihad announcing that all their demands are about to be met?

Here is the Guardian:
Hamas talks of 'real chance' for Gaza agreement with Israel As truce is extended, negotiator says Hamas doesn't want more death but will only sign deal that meets Palestinian demands . . .

Hamas believes there is a "real opportunity" to reach an agreement with Israel in Cairo negotiations to end the conflict in Gaza, saying it is "not interested in more bloodshed".

The positive signals from the Islamist organisation, which has fought a 30-day war with Israel, came after mediators brokered a five-day extension to the current ceasefire shortly before a midnight deadline on Wednesday. [...]

Egyptian mediators appeared to be striving for a two-part agreement. The initial deal would focus on easing Israeli restrictions on imports and exports, increasing the number of permits issued to Gazans to enter or travel through Israel, reducing the size of the no-go "buffer zone" inside Gaza's perimeter, and expanding the permitted fishing zone.

The second part, to follow some weeks later, would focus on Hamas's demands for a sea and airport, and the possible release of some Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in the conflict which Hamas is believed to be holding as a bargaining tool. [...]
A "real chance" as long as we get everything we want. I thought this was just the Guardian taking nonsense seriously, but here is Arutz 7:
[...] An Egyptian truce proposal presented Tuesday "could lead directly to what we define as a breakthrough and give an answer to our demands," said the Hamas leader.

The Egyptian proposal offered an easing of the blockade on the Hamas terror enclave of Gaza, putting off larger Hamas demands such as a sea and airport, along with Israeli demands for a disarmament of Gaza, to be resolved in later discussions.

Confirming the Hamas leader's words, the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization's second-in-command Ziad Nahala said Thursday that a truce agreement is indeed imminent, and will include a guarantee to remove the blockade on Gaza.

Egypt talked Israel out of its security demands according to Nahala, who added that the discussions about a sea port or airport will be held a month after an initial truce agreement is signed. [...]
What gives?

2 comments:

SnoopyTheGoon said...

I had me an interesting question: why not let them build an airport? Long as it stays empty, it shouldn't be a big deal of a problem.

Yitzchak Goodman said...

It would be an awfully interesting security line.