At the end of May, US President Joe Biden presented a proposal from Israel for a cease-fire agreement. Based on the proposal, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on cease fire in Gaza.
The proposed agreement is divided into three phases. Parts of the agreement have been published in a speech which Biden held in late May.
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It is not known what in detail has changed over time. But there are areas where Israel and Hamas are said to be far apart.
– The outlines of Biden’s original plan are there, but the question is how much is left, and how much the parties have demanded to change, says Anders Persson, Middle East expert and political scientist at Linnaeus University.
Details of several new demands from Israel
Among other things, it is about Israel wanting control over the border between Gaza and Egypt, continued presence in the Netzarim Corridor that divides the Gaza Strip between north and south, and preventing fighting members of Hamas from returning to northern Gaza.
There is also said to be disagreement about the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. A crucial issue from the beginning has been that Hamas wants guarantees of a complete end to the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken states that Israel has accepted a current proposal. Hamas says it wants to depart from the original plan and that the proposal violates terms Hamas agreed to in July.
– It is unclear exactly what is on the table, but it looks like the US has taken Israel’s claims into increasing consideration, which may also be a reason why Hamas is dissatisfied, says Anders Persson.
Motivates the US to positive signals
In addition to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the Israeli hostages, it is above all the risk of a large-scale war that is at stake for the United States, says Anders Persson.
– This means that there is a point for the US to make the negotiations protracted and not to give up. It gives Iran and Hezbollah a reason not to escalate the conflict.
Since negotiations resumed after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, which temporarily stalled the process, no Hamas representative is said to have attended the table.
– As long as you say that you are negotiating and that there is a chance of success, regardless of whether it is true or not – it reduces the risk of a major war, says Anders Persson.