Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected conditions presented by Hamas to end the war and release hostages that would include Israel’s complete withdrawal and leaving Hamas in power in Gaza.
As Israeli planes resumed bombing Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the Israeli leader’s refusal to end the military offensive in Gaza “means there is no chance for the return of the (Israeli) captives.”
“In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “And leaving Hamas intact.”
Set back what progress? You can’t say it was set back when there was 0 real progress and Netanyahu, who has been elected for 20 years on the promise that there won’t be a two-state solution is the PM.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians were working in Israel, earning several times their normal wage and feeding entire families in the West Bank and Gaza. Thousands were being treated in hospitals every year. There was a deal in the works for the exploitation of gas reserves off the coast of Gaza in the works that would have resulted in billions in income to Palestinians, as well as energy independence for Gaza. Negotiations were nearing completion when Hamas attacked on October 7.
There was actual progress being made, despite the constant friction due to settler violence and movement restrictions imposed upon on the people in the West Bank. None of the good things will ever happen again and it’ll only get worse for Palestinians from here on out. These kinds of deals result in contact, cooperation and intermingling, which is the basic groundwork necessary for Palestinians and Israelis to realize that peaceful coexistence is beneficial to both sides.
Terrorists exploited any ounce of goodwill. Those workers working in communities close to the border in Gaza? At least some of them spied on their hosts, reporting back even where children were sleeping, based on the maps and notes found on killed terrorists. Those communities who were hit the hardest were left-leaning, pro-peace and pro-Palestine, almost unanimously voting against the likes of Netanyahu while being active and enthusiastic supporters of the Palestinian cause, protesting against the two-tier justice system, against indefinite detention, against the harsh restrictions Palestinians in the West Bank suffer from. This kind of advocacy is as good as over.
Hamas knowingly hit those the hardest who are the best friends of Palestine in Israel, because they know that this keeps the violent conflict alive they so desperately wish to culminate in the destruction of Israel. Nobody in Israel will ever trust a Palestinian again to work for them, for many decades to come - and this lack of trust will make making any deals with Palestinians near impossible. Even before Israel has built its new border wall between its territory and Gaza, there are already invisible walls between the two people that are much higher than any physical wall could ever be.