The months-long ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been the diplomatic equivalent of Groundhog Day. And the US officials tasked with bringing those talks across the finish-line have contributed mightily to the very bad, never-ending movie we (not to mention the hostages’ families and the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza) have watched since President Biden rolled out his ceasefire plan in late May.
In the months since, Washington has committed verbal blunder after verbal blunder by getting over its skis and proclaiming progress where no progress exists. It appears the war in Gaza is so hopeless and depressing that US officials can’t help but sprinkle a little bit of optimism over the proceedings, even though the bottom-line positions of Israel and Hamas remain on the polar ends of the spectrum. Keeping the faith is one thing; substituting reality for your own emotional wellbeing is quite another.
The number of times the Biden administration has alleged near-imminent success or suggested the talks were moving toward a final agreement leads one to think we have a systemic problem on our hands. The list is long. On July 12, Biden tweeted that while Israel and Hamas had hard work ahead of them, both agreed on a framework deal. On July 19, secretary of state Antony Blinken told a security conference that ceasefire negotiations were “inside the ten-yard line.” About a month later, Biden again claimed “we are closer [to an agreement] than we’ve ever been.” US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield picked up on that narrative during remarks to the UN Security Council last week—a successful outcome, she said, “is in sight.”
The Palestinians in Gaza are still waiting. As are the Israelis desperately hoping to get their loved ones out after eleven months in Hamas captivity. As are the mediators who continue to shuttle to Doha, Cairo and Jerusalem with papers in their hands, hoping against all hope that a consensus can eventually be reached. But the so-called “bridging proposal” submitted to Israel and Hamas earlier in the month doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. And civilians in Gaza are still dying—tens of thousands have been killed, with more than 90,000 additional injuries.
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