On business as usual - Jack Khoury in Haaretz:
‘Hamas' acknowledgement on Monday of the deaths of several top officers – including legendary spokesman Abu Obeida – wasn't any old obituary: its timing and contents point to an effort by a wounded movement to project continuity at a moment when the foundations of its power are beginning to crack.
The statement's first and most obvious intention was clearly to project a sense that its "business as usual" for Hamas. The group seeks to make clear that it won't be silenced by Israel's assasinations of its top officials – even if its top brass is killed.’
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‘According to sources within Hamas' political leadership, this is an attempt to send a message to the U.S. administration to indicate that Netanyahu is making statements regarding Hamas' disarmament as an excuse to avoid action, at a time when advancing diplomatic measures – including an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip – is of far greater importance.
That being said, Hamas' narrative collides with the domestic reality of the Gaza Strip. In practice, Hamas has lost most of its local leadership, a substantial part of its military powers, its rocket capabilities and ammunition production capacity.’
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‘It has also reached the realization that salvation will not come from Qatar or Turkey, and definitely not Saudi Arabia, which will not accept a return to the prewar situation in Gaza. However, these countries are struggling to impose an alternative or exert pressure on the administration that would bring about change in Gaza.
Perhaps, they have come to accept that as long as Netanyahu and his government are still in power, there is no chance of progress, and therefore, American pressure is also expected to remain limited.
Evidence to that effect was seen at the start of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting, when the president echoed Netanyahu's messages about disarming Hamas as a condition for moving on to the second phase of the Trump administration's 20-point plan for Gaza.’
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‘It now appears that Hamas faces a choice: Either continue to "manage" the crisis in the Gaza Strip according to its narrow organizational logic, or take full responsibility for governance and pave the way for a new national path that does not come at the expense of civilians' lives.’
Read the article here.
We conclude, Trump didn’t pressure Bibi.
Hamas might be close to defeat, but the question is, what will be the price for Israel, not to mention the Gazans.
Israel has been compared to Serbia, but Serbia is not a Jewish state and I don’t want to pooh-pooh Serbian importance and history, but the shadows of the last world war are hanging over Israel and its supporters outside Israel, not to mention the Jewish people outside who feel they need to oppose or embrace real existing Zionism.
The shadow of JC is hanging over the Christians for Israel. But that’s another story.
Business as usual? Yes, for Bibi, mainly for Bibi.
