By Philip Klein
Thursday, January 16, 2025
On Wednesday, a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas
was lauded both by President-elect Donald Trump and by President Biden in his
farewell address. But as of Thursday morning, the talks among the parties are
in “crisis,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, due to a
late demand by Hamas that has delayed final approval of the deal.
Under the proposed agreement, Israel will release
terrorist prisoners in exchange for the release of 33 hostages (both living and
dead) in the deal’s first phase. But, per the Times of Israel, Netanyahu’s office said
that there was “a last-minute attempt by Hamas to withdraw from a clause in the
agreement that grants Israel veto power over the release of mass murderers who
are symbols of terrorism.”
Since Israel cannot agree to any deal that would allow
Hamas to secure the release of the worst of the worst terrorists, the cabinet
is delaying its final vote.
It is unclear as of this writing whether this is a just a
snag that will get worked out and allow the deal to get approved later in the
day, or it’s an indication that Hamas is hoping Israel can be pressured into
more concessions, given that both the incoming and outgoing U.S.
administrations have announced a deal and are heavily invested in its going
through.
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