Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed says ceasefire negotiations are ongoing with room for ‘give and take’ to reach an agreement.
www.aljazeera.com
Hamas responds to Blinken
Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu accused Blinken of bias, saying that the top US diplomat has been acting like he is Israel’s foreign minister since the start of the war.
“He lacks neutrality. He lacks even-handedness. He operates with
double standards. He is trying to portray the [Palestinian] resistance as if it is the party obstructing the deal,” Al-Nunu told Al Jazeera Mubasher later on Wednesday.
He said Hamas accepted
the proposal presented by Qatar and Egypt on May 6 as it is, and it was Israel that added amendments to it. Hamas’s response on Tuesday was counter-revisions to some of the Israeli changes, Al-Nunu said.
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According to Al-Nunu, Hamas’s notes aimed to ensure that Israel would not renege on the deal and resume the war after the first phase, which would see the release of some of its captives in Gaza.
Asked whether Hamas would be flexible about demands labelled “not workable” by Blinken, Al-Nunu said it is “normal” for negotiating parties to accept or reject amendments to a proposal.
In his news conference with Blinken, Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed said talks to bridge the gap between the parties will continue.
“These are not new efforts or dynamics for negotiations. There is always space and ‘give and take’. After all, these are negotiations to reach an agreement. There is no absolute response – yes or no,” he said.
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