The ceasefire plan that both Israel and Hamas had previously ironed out in Doha, Qatar was upended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
Netanyahu reportedly added new demands at the last minute that brought negotiations back to stalemate status, meaning IDF airstrikes on Gaza will continue indefinitely.
Dr. Ali Mamouri, a research fellow at Deakin University in Australia told Sputnik, a Russian media outlet, that it is Israel's fault that there is still no ceasefire agreement.
"Israel is the main reason for the delay as it adds new conditions constantly," Mamouri said. "Hamas' spokesman also said early this week that Hamas had agreed to Biden's recent proposal but Netanyahu added new conditions, ruining the deal."
In Mamouri's view, the United States is the only entity powerful enough to pressure Israel to accept any ceasefire agreement, but it seems that the administration of President Joe Biden "is not willing or does not have enough power to do so."
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Blinken says Qatar, Egypt will help U.S. bring "lasting peace and security" to Middle East
The Biden White House has been bragging as of late about making "significant progress" on a ceasefire deal, which runs contrary to what Mamouri is saying. One Washington politician who was in Doha actually declared that an "endgame" had been reached, only to now see the whole thing fall apart for the umpteenth time.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has visited Israel a total of nine times so far since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, recently made a trip to Qatar after a stopover in Egypt to continue pushing for a ceasefire agreement.
Egypt and Qatar, Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv, "are our two critical partners in this effort to get the ceasefire agreement over the finish line, to get the hostages home, to put everyone one a better path to lasting peace and security."
After U.S. officials basically declared the latest ceasefire agreement forged to be a done deal, Netanyahu returned with more demands that killed it, according to Hamas.
Netanyahu is "still putting obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement," according to Hamas. Netanyahu is also "setting new conditions and demands with the aim of undermining the mediators' efforts and prolonging the war."
"The new proposal meets Netanyahu's conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Junction (which separates the north and south of the Gaza Strip), the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor [a strip of territory separating Egypt from Gaza, ed.]," Hamas said in a statement.
The next round of ceasefire talks is scheduled to commence in Egypt on Aug. 21.
As for Netanyahu, "all he cares about is his political career, his future and concerns about possible prosecution due to corruption allegations and failure in security management in the Oct. 7, 2023, security breach, not to mention the ongoing International Criminal Court genocide case against him," Mamouri says.
"That is why he is trying to make the war longer and involve other regional parties and bring the U.S. into the conflict, as well to protect himself. It is clear that the release of the hostages via a ceasefire does not benefit him."
Mamouri, by the way, previously served as strategic communication advisor to the Iraqi prime minister from 2020 to 2022, so he is familiar with the negotiation process.
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