America will not force Israel to end the war in Gaza

Since hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed in Doha on Wednesday, the US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has made it clear to other mediators that Washington does not plan to force Israel to end the war in Gaza.

The reason for this is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's firm refusal to do so, according to two Arab officials who spoke to the Times of Israel.

Mediators from Qatar and Egypt had hoped that the US would take such a lead, given comments by US President Donald Trump and other senior officials about their desire to end the war, following the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander by Hamas.

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Netanyahu has insisted only on a temporary ceasefire of about 45 days, which would begin with the release of about 10 hostages by Hamas. During that period, he has told Witkoff that Israel is willing to hold talks on a permanent end to the war, but without committing in advance to such an outcome.

Hamas has vehemently rejected this framework, claiming that it had already agreed to release hostages during the January ceasefire agreement, which would have given Israel the opportunity to enter into talks to end the war. However, Netanyahu had refused to enter into such negotiations and ultimately continued the offensive.

Because of the inflexible positions of both sides, Witkoff has presented a proposal that attempts to find a middle ground – an agreement that would allow for the release of a smaller number of hostages in exchange for a several-week ceasefire, according to two Arab officials.

Trump's envoy has also attempted, through intermediaries, to convince Hamas that this time the US will ensure that Israel actually enters into talks for a permanent ceasefire.

But Arab mediators hope the US will convince Israel to at least postpone the offensive for a few more days while they wait to determine the results of Tuesday's IDF attack on a target of Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar in Gaza.

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Although they continue to follow Witkoff's lead in negotiations, Qatar and Egypt believe the strategy should be to "push the parties" toward a permanent end to the war, an Arab official said.

Witkoff largely agrees with the Arab approach and told the hostage families last week that the Netanyahu government's plan for a massive expansion of the war will not be effective.

When asked at another meeting why the US was unwilling to force Netanyahu to end the war, Witkoff replied, "We are not the Israeli government... The Israeli government is a sovereign government. They can't tell us what to do, and we can't tell them what to do." /Telegraph/