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Chalk up another failure in Joe Biden’s strategic diplomacy. After ramping up pressure on Israel to give his administration more credibility in Dearborn as well as in Qatar, Biden and his team allowed the UN Security Council to pass a cease-fire demand without the condition of Hamas releasing the hostages it kidnapped. Supposedly, this momentum would press Israel to offer more concessions and allow Hamas to moderate its hardline demands.
And Lucy would really let Charlie Brown kick the football, too!
No … not really:
Palestinian terror group Hamas said Monday night that it informed mediators seeking the release of Israeli hostages that it will stick to its original position on demanding a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a return of displaced Palestinians and a “real” exchange of “prisoners” — demands Israel has already rejected as delusional. …
Hamas claimed in a statement on Monday that Israel “did not respond to any of the basic demands of our people and our resistance (Hamas): a comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and a real exchange of prisoners.” The statement appeared to constitute a rejection of the latest proposal on offer in Doha, where Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect talks via mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.
The only people surprised by this development would work in either the White House or at Turtle Bay. The conundrum hasn’t changed since the eight-day pause in late November. Hamas will not give up its hostages or its human shields, nor will it ever agree to leave Gaza, because they remain convinced that Israel wants an excuse to stop fighting — and/or that the US and West will force Israel to withdraw without any concessions. Hamas also doesn’t give a rat’s ass what happens to the civilians in this war, a point they have proven every day since seizing total control of Gaza in the 2006 elections.
