As the Middle East faces a potential major conflict between Iran and Israel, with Lebanese Hezbollah also involved, the White House and its regional partners are scrambling to save ceasefire talks. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have called upon Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table on August 15 in either Doha or Cairo, urging them to “close all remaining gaps” and begin implementing the deal without further delay.
While the joint statement speaks of “remaining gaps,” a recent Axios report cites a diplomatic source claiming that the situation is far from mere closing gaps. A source familiar with the negotiations described the planned summit as a “Hail Mary” attempt by the Biden administration to secure a deal and avoid a regional war.
The White House also needs to demonstrate to the American public that it has helped facilitate a ceasefire, which would provide a boost to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her perceived foreign policy credentials in the lead-up to the November election.
In their statement, the US, Qatar, and Egypt called for “concluding a ceasefire agreement” and releasing hostages and prisoners. They claimed that they have been working for months to achieve a framework agreement, with only implementation details remaining unresolved. However, this has been the same language used by negotiators for several months without any significant progress.
Moreover, Israeli and Hamas officials consistently suggest otherwise. Additionally, there doesn’t appear to be much US pressure on Israel or serious attempts to curb its aggressive actions in places like Iran. The Biden administration’s stance on Israel is also contradictory – while the president has criticized the country for civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, he continues to arm the Israeli military.
Last month at the Aspen Security Forum, Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that negotiations were “inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line” in securing an agreement for a ceasefire, hostage release, and long-term peace and stability. Perhaps it is time for Blinken and other US officials to retire the football metaphors when discussing Hamas negotiations.
