On war crimes and diplomacy – Amir Tibon in Haaretz:

‘The Italian island of Sardinia, with its serene coastline and laid-back atmosphere, doesn't have a particularly notable history of hosting important diplomatic events. In fact, the one time it was supposed to host the G8 international summit to bring together the leaders of the world's most prosperous countries, the gathering was eventually moved to the Italian mainland for economic reasons.
But on Thursday, Sardinia will host a crucial meeting between senior representatives of the United States, Israel and Qatar, in an attempt to pull the Gaza cease-fire negotiations out of the mud and move them toward an agreement.’

(…)

‘The bottom line hasn't changed: Hamas wants a comprehensive agreement to end the war in return for the release of all the hostages; Netanyahu wants a partial, temporary cease-fire that will bring back only half the hostages, but allows him to renew the war later on. The Trump administration, just like the Biden administration before it, has failed to square this circle.’

(…)

‘Witkoff's arrival in Europe signals that some of the problems in the talks may indeed have been solved, but his meeting with Dermer and the Qatari prime minister is also a sign that some obstacles still remain. If an agreement was ready for signing, the special presidential envoy probably would have flown directly into Doha; instead, he is convening the top negotiators to try and push both Israel and Hamas (through Qatari influence) to compromise further.
All this is happening at a moment when international criticism of Israel is reaching new heights, as shocking images of hunger, death and destruction emerge from Gaza and rattle even steadfast supporters of Israel. Right-leaning media outlets in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe are accusing Israel of intentionally starving the Strip – in other words, it is no longer just MSNBC and The Guardian reporting on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, but also Fox News and the Daily Telegraph.’

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‘But just like in previous rounds of talks, it will only work if he himself sets the terms of the negotiations, and does not allow Dermer and Netanyahu to decide what the guidelines are. If he does that, important diplomatic news could, for the first time, come out of Sardinia.’

Read the article here.

Yes, even rightwing media cannot ignore the war crimes Israel is committing in Gaza. According to most experts, genocide is one of the war crimes.

Important diplomatic news might come out of Sardinia, but more important, what will come after Bibi? When will a truth commission see the light? For all people involved, the sooner the better.