Netanyahu’s shadow casts pall as peace talks stall (updated 11am)

Alameen Templeton

Hamas negotiators have left Cairo peace talks to consult with the movement after negotiations hit a brick wall in “israel’s” refusal to commit to a written, permanent ceasefire.

The deal on the table Monday only speaks of the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops to the Gaza border while hostages are being released in the first phase. The parties must commit themselves to negotiating a “sustainable calm” in the second phase.

Hamas says this is not good enough. Open-ended phrases about a “sustainable calm” or a “withdrawal” will do nothing to protect Palestinian lives, it says.

It wants the occupiers to sign a deal that assures all violence stops permanently and soldiers are withdrawn completely from Gaza.

However, the “israelis” are refusing to sign a deal that commits them to a total ceasefire.

Instead, its stormtroopers started a slow-motion assault on Rafah Monday, forcefully displacing refugees in the eastern part of the city.

Israeli spokesperson Avichay Adrai said the IOF was expanding its “humanitarian zone” in the Mawasi area, is forcing Palestinians out of eastern Rafah, which was the initial “safe zone”.

Their ambition is to displace about 100 000 of the 1.4million Palestinians in the border town.

“israeli” prime minister and Number 1 accused of human rights violations, Benjamin Netanyahu, is hanging on for a final atrocity, his political career hanging in the balance, dependent on a Rafah assault to keep him out of jail.

His right-wing partners in his coalition government have told him he can forget about their continuing support if he cancels a Rafah invasion.

Humanitarian and aid workers stress an assault will unavoidably carry a terrible toll in human lives.

US President Joe Biden has told “israel” an attack on Rafah will result in too many civilian casualties.

Yesterday, the US halted a shipment of ammunition headed to Israel, the first time the US has done so since the start of the genocide.

That is being seen as the surest sign yet that the US is feeling the heat as protests against the genocide keep getting bigger on American campuses, despite aggressive police actions to try break them up.

Biden has two presidential campaign launch events coming up and he needs the anger in his party to die down as much as possible.More than half of Democrat supporters are opposed to his Gaza genocide policy.

At the same time, the International Criminal Court is reportedly readying arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other senior, “israeli” officials, increasing pressure on Zionist allies to fall back in their support.

Netanyahu is also resisting a rising tide of voices in “israel”, calling for his resignation.

He needs to keep the war going to try forestall the resumption of fraud proceedings against him in a criminal court while families of hostages are furious over his handling of their release. They’re demanding his resignation and another election.

Hamas officials told Al Mayadeen they would return to Cairo Tuesday.