Little chance of a Ramadan truce

The resistance in Gaza won’t submit to US and Israeli terms

It wasn’t a slip of the tongue when Joe Biden said there would be a cease-fire and prisoner-exchange between the Gaza Strip resistance and the Israeli occupation state by this week. His mistaken assertion was due to the misleading information he receives.

Neither Biden nor the Arab ‘mediators’ trying to broker a deal understand the nature and resilience of Hamas’ leadership in the Gaza Strip. They have both grown accustomed to dealing with malleable Palestinian and Arab leaders, who bow the knees at the mere hint of the US wielding a stick.

Biden is in a hurry to get a deal done before the start of Ramadan. He’s not bothered about the genocide in Gaza. He merely wants to spare Israel more losses, prevent the West Bank from erupting, and — most importantly — salvage his ailing re-election campaign as voters desert him in huge numbers.

The Gaza Strip’s resistance leaders have the final say on this, and they’re not in such a hurry. They have nerves of steel and take a longer-term view and evaluation of developments. I doubt the talks behind closed doors between US, Israeli and Egyptian intelligence officials will reach any conclusion before the start of Ramadan.

The information available — from the recent talks in Moscow between Palestinian factions and other sources in Gaza — indicates that if anything, the resistance is more determined than ever to stick to its conditions, especially a permanent ceasefire and Israel withdrawal, and not make further concessions.

Sinwar instructed the Hamas delegation currently in Cairo to hold fast to this position and not relent. If Biden and the Americans are worried about an upsurge of resistance during Ramadan, let that be used to gain more concessions.

Sinwar affirmed to the delegation, headed by his close aide Khalil al-Hayyeh, that the resistance is well prepared for the next stage, especially in terms of resisting any Israeli assault on Rafah.

This confidence is due both to the resistance ‘s successes on the ground and its refusal — unlike the previous leadership — to be pressurised or bribed by Arab mediators into submitting to Israeli and US terms.

The US and its Arab clients could not even persuade Netanyahu to open the Rafah crossing to allow in humanitarian aid, instead resorting to the theatrical stunt of dropping in some crumbs of supplies by parachute. Nothing better expresses his contempt for them all. He is pressing ahead with his bloodthirsty plans because he knows any ceasefire or withdrawal would amount to defeat at the hands of the Palestinian resistance

Little chance of a Ramadan truce