The gaps between Hamas and the Board of Peace on the issue of Gaza’s disarmament are very wide, according to several sources who spoke to The Jerusalem Post. “Hamas didn’t say no, but essentially it is almost impossible to bridge the gaps,” the sources told the Post.
In recent weeks, a number of meetings have taken place between senior Board of Peace officials, including the council’s director-general Nickolay Mladenov, and senior Hamas figures, in an attempt to reach an agreement on Hamas disarmament.
According to sources familiar with the details of the talks, the negotiations have not produced an agreement. Hamas’s response has effectively been “yes, but” with the “but” reflecting extensive demands and conditions.
An Israeli source told the Post that Israel is coordinating with the Board of Peace and the US administration to plan the next steps following Hamas’s refusal.
“No one was surprised six months ago, and no one is surprised today that Hamas refuses to disarm – including the US and the mediators,” the official said.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Mladenov, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and other senior Board of Peace officials, including Aryeh Lightstone, the chief director of the Trump administration’s Gaza reconstruction project. According to two sources, the meeting was described as positive.
One source said that “there is no gap between Israel and the Board of Peace regarding the ultimate goal for the situation in Gaza – namely, the disarmament of Hamas – and that only this can lead to the reconstruction of the Strip.”
The Board of Peace’s plan envisions that, in the first phase, Hamas would give up its heavy offensive weapons, and its tunnels would be destroyed. In a later phase, Hamas operatives, or members of any other organization, would not be permitted to possess even light weapons.
Senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister, have declared that “the disarmament of the Gaza Strip will happen one way or another,” and the IDF has already prepared operational plans in case a decision is made to resume fighting in Gaza.
Government ministers are calling for action against the terrorist organization, but the current assessment is that until the war with Iran concludes, no unusual operations will be carried out in Gaza, even if Hamas continues to refuse to disarm.
Source:
www.jpost.com
