Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, emphasized that “only America can pressure to stop the Gaza war.” Al-Sheikh stated in remarks to “Al Arabiya/Al Hadath” on Tuesday that “America has not exerted enough pressure on Israel.”
He also added, “There is no optimism about reaching an agreement in Gaza due to Israeli practices” and noted “we have ongoing contacts with Hamas to coordinate positions.” Concerning “Abbas’s Visit to Gaza,” al-Sheikh informed the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about President Mahmoud Abbas’s desire to visit Gaza. He said, “We were expecting Israel to reject Abbas’s request to visit Gaza.” Meanwhile, the Palestinian State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faresin Agabkian Shaheen, revealed that Abbas’s visit to Gaza is very close. She expressed in statements to “Al Arabiya/Al Hadath” on Tuesday: “We hope there will be international support for Abbas’s visit to Gaza.”
She added that “there is nearly a global consensus on the importance of the Palestinian Authority’s role in Gaza.”
Hamas “Backtracks”
President Joe Biden earlier on Tuesday announced that Hamas is “backtracking” on the proposed agreement with Israel to establish a truce in Gaza. Responding to journalists’ questions at Chicago airport after delivering a speech at the National Democratic Conference, he stated that the proposed settlement “is still on the table, but nothing can be predicted,” adding that “Israel says it can achieve a result while Hamas is now backtracking.” Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Monday evening that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to the American plan.
The Movement Responds
After Biden accused Hamas of backtracking on its agreement to the American proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the movement responded. It denied in a statement on Tuesday the validity of those accusations, affirming that Biden and Blinken’s statements do not reflect its true position. It also confirmed its commitment to what was agreed with the mediators last month.
Additionally, it considered that what was recently presented to it was entirely different from what had been agreed upon, emphasizing that the new proposal was a retreat from what the parties had reached on July 2nd. It also pointed out that the latest American offer “constitutes a coup on what the parties had reached on the second of July last year, based on Biden’s declaration on May 31st, and Security Council Resolution 2735 (June 11th).” It saw this as “succumbing” to the new terms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist, and his criminal plans towards Gaza.
Transitional Proposal
Washington had announced last week that it had presented a transitional proposal during the Doha talks aimed at bridging the gaps in the ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas then accused it of yielding to Israeli conditions. Netanyahu still insists on not fully withdrawing from the devastated sector and maintaining his security control over the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia corridor (Salah al-Din), as well as a temporary ceasefire, which Hamas and the Egyptian side both reject. The Israeli side also insists on imposing surveillance and restrictions on the return of Palestinian displaced persons to northern Gaza, which the movement categorically rejects.
