The director of the CIA Bill Burns discussed a new US proposal for a temporary cease-fire deal in <a href="http://www.world-today-news.com/us-wing-movement-allegedly-provides-arms-to-hamas-page-all/" title="US Wing Movement Allegedly Provides Arms to Hamas Page all”>Gaza at a meeting on Sunday with his counterparts Israel and his Catarrh
The deal proposal includes a 28-day temporary pause in the fighting, with Hamas releasing about eight hostages and Israel releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners, according to three Israeli officials who spoke to the US website Axios.
Following Egypt’s proposed deal, which Israel said it has not formally received, the US is trying to rekindle the indirect talks by proposing a temporary truce in hopes, Axios says, of boosting negotiations for a comprehensive deal.
However, it appears that US officials are not expecting developments before the US presidential election, as both Israel and Hamas will likely reconsider their positions based on the results.
Temporary not permanent
The US proposal also does not address Hamas’ key demand that any deal include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he would only agree to a partial deal, not an end to the war. These two positions are incompatible.
“Israel agrees to a temporary pause, but Hamas wants a pause that will open a process that will lead to irreversible steps by Israel. If neither side softens their position, there is not going to be a deal,” a senior Israeli official tells Axios.
Burns met Sunday in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Mossad director David Barnea.
Several hours before the talks began, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi publicly confirmed that Egypt had proposed a partial deal that included a 12-day ceasefire and the release of four hostages.
What the American proposal for hostages and Gaza includes
Burns, al-Thani and Barnea had already floated the idea of a partial deal and discussed ways to build on the Egyptian idea during their meeting on Sunday, Israeli officials say.
The plan includes a four-week ceasefire in Gaza, the release of approximately 8 women of all ages or men over 50 held by Hamas, and the release of several dozen Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that the sides discussed “a new unified framework that incorporates previous proposals and also takes into account the main issues and recent developments in the region.”
Qatari and Egyptian mediators are expected to meet with Hamas officials in the coming days to discuss the new plan.
Burns is also expected to travel to Cairo later this week to discuss the matter with Egypt’s new intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
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