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US Says Israel Supports Latest Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Calls on Hamas to Accept Proposal
US Secretary of State Blinken meets with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 19, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/Pool
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a bridging proposal presented by Washington designed to close disagreements to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to do the same.
Blinken spoke to journalists after a day of meetings with Israeli officials, including a 2-1/2-hour meeting with Netanyahu that Blinken described as “very constructive.” The top US diplomat had said earlier that this push was probably the best and possibly last opportunity for a deal.
Talks in Qatar seeking a ceasefire and hostage return agreement last week paused without a breakthrough, but the negotiations are expected to resume this week based on the US proposal to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas.
However, with the Palestinian terrorist group announcing a resumption of suicide bombing inside Israel after many years, and ongoing Israeli military strikes across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Monday, there are few signs of conciliation on the ground.
“In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal — that he supports it,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv.
“It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same, and then the parties, with the help of the mediators — the United States, Egypt, and Qatar — have to come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made under this agreement.”
DIFFICULT NEGOTIATIONS
Despite US expressions of optimism and Netanyahu’s office describing the meeting as positive, both Israel and Hamas have signaled that any deal will be difficult.
Hamas accused Netanyahu on Sunday of “thwarting the mediators’ efforts” and Turkey said Hamas envoys had told it that US officials were “painting an overly optimistic picture.”
Months of on-off talks have circled the same issues, with Israel saying the war can only end with the destruction of Hamas as a military and political force and Hamas saying it will only accept a permanent, and not a temporary, ceasefire.
There are disagreements over Israel‘s continued military presence inside Gaza, particularly along the border with Egypt, over the free movement of Palestinians inside the territory, and over the identity and number of prisoners to be freed in a swap.
Blinken acknowledged the difficulties. “The challenge is, besides Hamas agreeing to the bridging proposal, is to make sure that there are clear understandings on how the different parties are going to make good on their commitments, how they’re actually going to implement this agreement,” he said.
“These are complex issues, but that’s also why we have expert negotiators who are working on this … Prime Minister Netanyahu committed to sending his senior expert team back to either Doha or to Egypt to try to complete this process.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri was dismissive of the chances that Blinken would press Netanyahu to accept a deal. “Blinken acts as if he was a minister in Netanyahu’s government,” Zuhri told Reuters.
The current war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 last year when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists stormed across the border into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages.
Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign in neighboring Hamas-ruled Gaza aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities. Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza say about 40,000 Palestinians have died during the offensive, although experts have cast doubt on the reliability of casualty figures coming out of the enclave, in part because they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
US POLITICAL PRESSURE
Blinken, on his ninth trip to the region since the war began, met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu on Monday. He later met Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and is due also to visit Egypt and Qatar.
Blinken’s visit comes as US President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure over his stance on the conflict, with his Democratic party starting its national convention on Monday amid worries about Muslim and Arab American votes in swing states.
In Israel, families of hostages — who have staged protests urging a deal — spoke out again on Monday.
“Don’t sacrifice my daughter and the dozens of helpless hostages,” said Ayelet Levy-Shachar on Kan Radio. Her daughter Naama, 20, was captured at an army base.
Some at a protest in Tel Aviv held US flags and signs saying “Hostage deal now,” “Hey Joe! Mr Biden, help us save them,” and “They have no time.”
Inside Gaza, Palestinians said they had little optimism that Blinken’s visit would bring a ceasefire.
“They are lying just to destroy us more and more. Kill us and kill our children, starve us and make us homeless. Blinken is useless, his visit will harm the Palestinian people,” said Hanan Abu Hamid, who was displaced from her home in Rafah.
The conflict has put the entire Middle East region on edge, triggering months of border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, and threatening a wider escalation drawing in major powers.
The post US Says Israel Supports Latest Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Calls on Hamas to Accept Proposal first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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The Palestinian Authority’s Plan: Flood Israel with Gaza Refugees Who Will ‘Return to Their Cities’ in Israel
Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists gather at a mourning house for Palestinians who were killed during Israel-Gaza fighting, as a ceasefire holds, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
While the future of the Gaza Strip is yet unknown, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is busy suggesting a solution that will destroy Israel as a Jewish state.
Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate the Gazan Arabs from the Gaza Strip, PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and other top PA leaders are calling for a “return” of Gazan “refugees” to places in Israel that they claim are “their homes and villages” in “Palestine”:
Mahmoud Abbas: All Palestinian “refugees” in Gaza should “return to their cities” in Israel
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “Today, 2.3 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, of whom 1.5 million are refugees who sought refuge after they were expelled from their lands in 1948, during which they were subjected to more than 50 massacres by the Zionist terrorist gangs.
If the Americans want a solution – the only place they [the refugees] need to return to is their cities and villages from which they were expelled during the Nakba ([.e., “the catastrophe,” the establishment of Israel], to implement UN Resolution 194. … [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV News, Feb. 15, 2025]
Abbas’ advisor: Abbas said Gazans should return to “their homes and villages” in Israel
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “[PA] President Mahmoud Abbas clearly said: If there is a possibility of the Palestinians leaving the Gaza Strip, let it be to their cities and villages from which their [Palestinian] families were expelled in 1948
… Because 75% of the residents of the Gaza Strip are originally refugees from historical Palestine. If they [Israelis] want them to leave, let them return to their homes, their cities, and their villages.” [emphasis added]
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, March 22, 2025]
Abbas’ advisor: “Refugees” from Gaza “should return” to Israel, all else is “unrealistic, immoral, illegal”
Al-Habbash: “More than 70% of the civilians living in the Gaza Strip are refugees whose families were expelled in 1948 during the Nakba. They were expelled from Palestine. Any uprooting of them, any leaving by them from the Gaza Strip should be a return to their cities and villages from which their families were expelled in 1948.
Anything other than this is unrealistic, immoral, illegal, inhumane, unimplementable, and the Palestinians cannot agree to it.” [emphasis added]
[Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, Feb. 16, 2025]
Fatah Spokesman calls for “right of return”: Gazans should “return to land and homes” in Israel
Fatah Spokesman Abd Al-Fattah Doleh: “If they [the US and Israel] want to talk about something related to [Palestinian] migration, they should talk about the Palestinian people’s right to return to its land and homes from which it was expelled.
A large number of Gaza residents are refugees and uprooted people who need to return to their land that was occupied in 1948 and 1967. This is the only solution related to the Palestinian people’s rights, only return.” [emphasis added]
[Al-Bawaba (Egyptian news website), YouTube channel, March 11, 2025]
The Fatah Revolutionary Council issued a summary statement from a convention in February 2025, in which they also stressed that:
“Given the uprooting plans, it is necessary to implement the right of return, as explicitly stated in the UN General Assembly resolution 194 in 1949. Any return or population movement must be to the cities and villages from which our fathers and grandfathers were uprooted in 1948…” [emphasis added]
[Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 23, 2025]
Human rights activist: Palestinians have “a right” to flood Israel, “to return to their homes in the 1948” territories
Director of the Al-Haq Institute for Human Rights Sha’awan Jabarin: “We believe that it is our people’s right to enjoy freedom and independence, and it is the right of our refugees to return to their land and their homes, and I don’t mean to return only to the 1967 [territories], but rather to their homes in the 1948 [territories] [i.e., all of sovereign Israel].
I say here that this is a legal, legitimate, and fundamental right.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV News, March 31, 2025]
For many Arabs and Palestinians, the thought of Palestinian “refugees returning” heralds the end of Israel, something they consider a “historic right” and a “promise” that Allah will surely fulfill.
PA TV serves as platform for call for the “end of Israel”
Egyptian Al-Azhar Cleric Sheikh Yasser Mustafa Younes: “Allah willing, we will all merit to reclaim Jerusalem and all of Palestine from the occupation [Israel] and the Zionist entity, Allah willing, and they will disappear.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV, Palestine is Not for Sale, March 8, 2025]
The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.
The post The Palestinian Authority’s Plan: Flood Israel with Gaza Refugees Who Will ‘Return to Their Cities’ in Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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China and Egypt Launch Joint Military Drills Near Israeli Border Amid Rising Regional Tensions
China and Egypt have launched their first-ever joint air force drill, “Eagles of Civilization 2025,” at an Egyptian airbase. Photo: Screenshot
China and Egypt launched a large-scale joint military exercise this week near the Israeli border, described by Chinese media as a “historic” first of its kind, aimed at deepening military cooperation amid rising regional tensions.
The joint drills — dubbed “Eagles of Civilization 2025” — began Sunday at an Egyptian Air Force base about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the Gulf of Suez and are expected to run through mid-May.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the drill features Chinese J-10C fighter jets, refueling planes, and KJ-500 early warning aircraft, along with Russian-made MiG-29s flown by Egypt.
This exercise “is the first joint training between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, which is of great significance to promoting pragmatic cooperation and enhancing mutual trust and friendship between the two militaries,” the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
Egyptian officials said the joint drills, aimed at strengthening military ties, will combine theoretical and practical training to enhance combat doctrines.
“The training will also involve joint aerial sorties, planning exercises, and simulated air combat management operations to exchange expertise and enhance the skills of the participating forces,” an Egyptian armed forces spokesperson said in a statement on social media.
Some experts view Beijing’s growing relationship with Cairo as the country’s latest move to expand its military presence in the Middle East and Africa, challenging the United States as its influence in the region stalls. This move could also help China strengthen ties with regional partners as the country faces mounting economic sanctions from Washington.
While details about Egypt’s military buildup remain unclear, “satellite images have shown the movement of tanks and battalions that exceed the limits set by the Camp David Accords,” Mariam Wahba, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told The Algemeiner.
Under the peace treaty, Egypt can request permission from Israel to deploy more than the 47 battalions allowed. However, some estimates suggest that there are currently camps for 180 battalions.
“The Camp David Accords have long been a pillar of peace and stability in the Middle East,” Wahba explained. “A breakdown of the agreement would have serious implications, not just for Israel and Egypt but for the broader region.”
“It could embolden actors like Iran and its proxies to exploit tensions and could lead to increased militarization along Israel’s southern border,” Wahba told The Algemeiner.
Egypt’s military buildup, reportedly in response to Israel’s presence at the Philadelphi Corridor and concerns over a potential mass Palestinian exodus into the country, along with Jerusalem’s control of the corridor, could both breach the 1979 peace treaty.
Last month, China, Russia, and Iran held a three-day naval drill in the Gulf of Oman, conducting joint operations in Iranian territorial waters, strengthening their defense cooperation and bolstering their presence in the region.
China’s growing ties with Egypt come at a time when Egyptian relations with Washington are strained, following US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip — potentially to Egypt and other Arab countries — during reconstruction efforts after the war, a plan Cairo has strongly opposed.
“This is a reminder that our partners have options,” Former US CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel told The War Zone. “China is positioning itself as a viable military supplier and strategic partner” in the region.
In a rapidly shifting Middle East marked by rising tensions and competing regional power blocs, China and Egypt’s deepening cooperation could reshape regional power dynamics, challenging American influence and diminishing Israel’s strategic flexibility.
Israeli defense officials have previously expressed growing concern over Cairo’s military buildup and armed presence in the Sinai Peninsula.
These concerns come amid escalating tensions between Jerusalem and Cairo since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, particularly over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, where Egypt has demanded Israel withdraw its forces.
Earlier this year, Jerusalem accused Egypt of violating their decades-old peace treaty, while also raising concerns about Cairo’s expanding defense capabilities.
The post China and Egypt Launch Joint Military Drills Near Israeli Border Amid Rising Regional Tensions first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Palestine Demonstrators Blast Sanders as ‘Genocide Denier’
US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to the media following a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, US, July 17, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) has been targeted by left-wing protesters over his supposedly insufficient support for Gaza.
Pro-Palestine activists crashed one of Sanders’s “The Fighting Oligarchy” rallies in Bakersfield, California last week to grill the senator about his position on the Israel-Hamas war. During Sanders’s speech, activists associated with United Liberation Front for Palestine (ULFP) berated Sanders for his reluctance in accusing Israel of committing so-called “genocide” against the civilians of Gaza.
“Are you going to call it a genocide, when it’s a genocide?” the activist bellowed.
“And you defend Israel when Palestinians are being killed every single day and all you do is criticize Netanyahu! Israel does not have a right to exist or fight while Palestinians are dying,” she continued.
Other protesters then interrupted Sanders’s speech, condemning the progressive lawmaker as a “liberal Zionist,” accusing him of being “complicit with ICE,” and castigating him for voting in favor of the confirmation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Bernie, why don’t you let your fans know that you’re a settler, that you occupy Palestinian land?” the activist said.
Sanders does not possess dual citizenship with Israel. However, rumors about Sanders, who is Jewish, possessing Israeli citizenship have circulated around the internet since his 2015 presidential campaign.
In recent weeks, anti-Israel protesters have grown increasingly critical of Sanders over his refusal to adopt more adversarial rhetoric against the Jewish state. Last week, Sanders incensed progressives after authorities removed an activist which unfurled a flag reading “free Palestine” during a tour stop in Idaho.
During that rally, Sanders said, “Israel, like any other country, has the right to defend itself from terrorism, but it does not have the right to wage all out war against the Palestinian people” and “not one more nickel to Netanyahu,” triggering more outrage among his leftist supporters.
Sanders, who is among the most vocal critics of the Israel-Hamas war in the federal government, spearheaded a number of failed efforts to implement a partial arms embargo on the Jewish state, citing supposed “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza. However, progressive activists have grown increasingly vocal about their dissatisfaction with Sanders’s position on Israel, complaining that the senator has isolated his criticisms to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has refused to repudiate Israel’s existence.
The post Pro-Palestine Demonstrators Blast Sanders as ‘Genocide Denier’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.