Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are meeting in Cairo once again as indirect talks resume on Sunday in an effort to reach a long-term ceasefire agreement.
The Egyptian government was successful is persuading both sides to agree to a five day extension of a previous 72-hour ceasefire in order to allow more time to finalize details as part of a longer truce.
Egypt has put forth yet another proposal that would renew talks beyond the current deadline of Monday at midnight in which Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams would meet in one month’s time.
However, the Palestinian delegation has been publicly stating that chances of agreeing to any truce with Israel are slim. A member of the Palestinian delegation told AP on Sunday that there were still significant hurdles to overcome and was very skeptical that a deal would be reached before the ceasefire expired.
“We are less optimistic than we were earlier,” he said. The comment comes after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal announced on Saturday that his group would only agree to a truce that fulfilled each of their demands.
Among Hamas’s demands are the release of terrorists from Israel prisons, opening all of Gaza’s borders, and building a seaport and airport in Gaza.
During Sunday morning’s cabinet meeting, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said that building a port in Gaza would ease the transfer of weapons into Gaza.
“We must stand firm on the demilitarization issue. A port will be like a duty-free for rockets. In the future there will be Scuds and Zelzal missiles there,” he said.
Steinitz echoed growing sentiments in Israel that Gaza should be completely demilitarized.
“We are continuing in our contacts with Egypt. Our conduct is responsible and measured,” Steinitz said. “The most important thing in my opinion is that Gaza be demilitarized. As long as that is not done, it will just make the situation on the ground worse.”
Communication Minister Gilad Erdan, who is also part of the Security Cabinet, told Israel Radio on Sunday that there were still a number of issues that were being discussed.
According to the new proposal, negotiations regarding the release of terrorists in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers are to be postponed.
A senior Hamas official, Ahmed Yousef, said that Hamas will not return the bodies without a truce.
“There are European and international parties who are interested in moderating the issue, but we will not discuss it as long as there is no agreement for a long-term ceasefire,” Yousef stated.
Several Israeli ministers have expressed their concern over the route of the current negotiations. Hamas has boasted in the past that they are “holding Israel at gunpoint” during talks in order to get what they want.
Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said on Sunday, “Hamas is running the show, and we are being led by them. There is a very unpleasant feeling that Israel wants quiet at any price. This is a temporary quiet.”
“There is international credit that we are wasting,” he added. “Because of earlier rounds, we reached an arrangement and deterrence, and after that we received a more difficult round. We are giving Hamas international status. There is no victory on the ground.”
