WASHINGTON: Key mediator Qatar on Tuesday drew attention to inconsistencies in the remarks made by Israeli ministers and stated that it was awaiting a “clear position” from Tel Aviv on the peace agreement proposed by President Joe Biden, even as the US asked the UN Security Council to approve its proposal to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Qatar, on the other hand, claimed that neither Israel nor Hamas had given the cease-fire agreement its formal assent. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari stated, “We have yet to see a very clear position from the Israeli government towards the principles laid out by President Biden.”
“We don’t think there is a united stance in Israel regarding this current proposal on the table, as we have seen and read the contradictory statements coming in from Israeli ministers,” he stated. “We are not very confident in any of the statements that we have seen from either side,” he continued.
Subsequently, the official added that Doha is “much closer” to fulfilling the demands of both Israel and Hamas after receiving a “Israeli proposal which reflects the positions stated by President Biden.” “The proposal has been given to the Hamas side,” Mr. Ansari stated, adding that Qatar is doing its “utmost to come to a final agreement.”
The US president chastises Netanyahu for dragging out the conflict before retreating; negotiators claim that Tel Aviv is unsure of its stance on Biden’s peace plan.
UNSC approval is requested
In a related development, the US pushed the 15-member council to approve a resolution endorsing President Joe Biden’s call for a truce in Gaza last week.
It takes a minimum of nine votes in favor of the resolution to pass, and none of the US, France, Britain, China, or Russia can veto it. The draft resolution seeks to liberate all prisoners, put an end to the nearly eight-month-long conflict in Gaza, and provide significant relief to the severely damaged Palestinian region.
A senior UN ambassador told Dawn, “Voting cannot be scheduled at this time because the US has asked for comments until today (Tuesday) before the council takes further action.”
The US has circulated a new proposal to put an end to the violence in Gaza through a ceasefire agreement, according to a statement made by the US mission to the UN and signed by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
She said, “We call on the Security Council to join them in calling for the implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions. Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan.”
The US ambassador stated that “swift implementation of this deal would enable an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance, the restoration of basic services, an immediate ceasefire, the release of [prisoners], and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in its first phase.”
Biden accuses Netanyahu
US President Joe Biden initially charged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of delaying the end of the Gaza War for political reasons, but he later changed his mind in an odd sequence of events.
When asked if he believed Netanyahu was dragging out the conflict for personal political gain, he responded, “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion,” to Time Magazine.
Along with calling for an end to the nearly eight-month conflict, the US president stated that it was “uncertain” whether Israeli soldiers had committed war crimes in Gaza.
When questioned about the interview, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer stated that Joe Biden’s remarks about Netanyahu were “beyond the diplomatic norms of every right-thinking country.”
Later on Tuesday, though, he seemed to downplay the comment, responding, “I don’t think so, he’s trying to work out this serious problem he has,” in response to a question about whether Netanyahu was “playing politics.”
The US president acknowledged in the previous interview that there were deeper issues between her and Netanyahu, stating that they had a “major disagreement” on Gaza’s post-conflict destiny.
