A few points about the Doha talks and their fate: Is Israel going to back out?
Despite more than three weeks having passed since the start of the new round of Doha talks on the Gaza ceasefire, no specific results have yet been achieved from these talks. At the height of the rumors and negative atmosphere created by US envoy Steve Whittaker and US President Donald Trump, who accused Hamas of obstructing and being unwilling to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and threatened to destroy it, a statement was issued by the Qatari Foreign Ministry on July 25, according to which Qatari and Egyptian officials emphasized: The talks have made progress and that media rumors do not reflect the reality of the talks and that the talks will resume soon.
Positive atmosphere of Doha talks and logical response of Hamas, according to Bishara Bahbah
According to Al-Quds News Network, Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman who worked with Steve Whittaker to build a bridge between the negotiating parties, said in a media interview on July 25, quoting Qatari and Egyptian mediators: Hamas’s response was positive, and an agreement can be reached soon. Hamas did not provide a definitive answer, indicating that it is open to negotiation and making concessions in exchange for a series of concessions. When the Qataris and Egyptians gave Hamas’ response to the Israelis, the Israelis said that this response can be examined with a positive and cautious approach.
Bishara Bahbah added: Hamas said that the issue of prisoners will not be an obstacle to an agreement; rather, Israel’s plans to withdraw from Gaza are much more important, and Hamas does not want Israel to be present in the residential areas of Gaza.
The explanation provided by Bishara Bahbah refutes the claims of those parties who claimed that the reason for the suspension of negotiations was Hamas’s conditions and its insistence on the criteria for the release of prisoners. Hamas has stressed that the issue of prisoners will not be discussed before the terms of the agreement on the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and the entry of aid into the Strip are finalized.
In addition, the Hamas movement issued a statement saying: The mediating parties, especially Qatar and Egypt, expressed their satisfaction and gratitude for our serious and constructive position. We insisted on reducing the depth of the buffer zones where the occupying army will remain for 60 days and not deploying the occupying forces in the densely populated areas of Gaza to ensure the return of most of the people to their homes.
This Hamas statement and the information released by Bishara Bahbah meant that the negotiations were progressing positively and that Hamas’ response was not only not an obstacle to reaching an agreement, but was also considered a motivating factor for the imminent achievement of an agreement.