No immediate ceasefire in Gaza in sight – The night at a glance
Published: Tuesday, Mar 26th 2024, 06:30
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The fronts in the Gaza war continue to harden even after the UN Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" by resolution. While UN Secretary-General António Guterres insisted that the resolution be implemented, the Islamist Hamas reiterated its demand for a permanent ceasefire - and on Monday evening blamed Israel for the fact that no agreement has yet been reached on a ceasefire and the release of further hostages. In turn, there were major disagreements between Israel and its key ally, the USA: Annoyed that the Americans helped the resolution to succeed, Israel's head of government Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a delegation trip to Washington at the last minute. The US government reacted with irritation and at the same time tried to appease the Israelis and play down the significance of the Security Council resolution.
USA: Resolution is not binding
"It is a non-binding resolution that has no impact on Israel and its ability to continue to take action against Hamas," said John Kirby, Communications Director of the US National Security Council. However, Security Council resolutions are binding under international law. Secretary-General Guterres also called for the resolution to be implemented. "Failure would be unforgivable," he warned on Monday on Platform X, formerly Twitter.
Kirby rebuffed various questions on Monday as to whether the relationship between Israel and the USA - and specifically between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden - had reached a low point. That is not the case. "Israel is still a close ally and a friend," the communications director emphasized, but added: "That doesn't mean we agree on everything, and my goodness, we don't."
Baerbock praises Palestinian contribution
Meanwhile, following talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock praised the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Abbas personally for their contribution to the UN resolution. With its clear condemnation of Hamas' violent crimes against civilians in Israel on October 7, the PA led by Abbas had made "an important contribution" to the decision in New York, said Baerbock in Ramallah. She could only endorse the call for Hamas to lay down its arms.
Hamas stalls negotiations
However, Hamas announced on Monday evening that the mediators had been informed that they were sticking to their original position. In addition to a "comprehensive ceasefire", this also includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced persons and a "genuine" prisoner exchange. The reason for this is that Israel "has not responded to any of the fundamental demands of our people and our resistance". Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu "and his extremist government bear full responsibility for thwarting all negotiation efforts and preventing an agreement so far", it said.
Israel has always rejected the demand for a complete withdrawal of troops and a permanent ceasefire. Hamas, in turn, makes any further release of hostages conditional on an Israeli commitment to end the war. Netanyahu has repeatedly described this demand as illusory and insisted that the war will be resumed with the aim of destroying Hamas as soon as an agreement on the release of hostages has been implemented. On Monday, several media reports stated that Israel had agreed to approach Hamas during negotiations between the mediating states Qatar, Egypt and the USA and release several hundred more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 Israeli hostages than had previously been conceded.
Baerbock warns against Rafah offensive
Ahead of her return visit to Israel this Tuesday, Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock urgently warned Israel against the planned ground offensive in Rafah in view of the humanitarian situation. "There must not be a major offensive on Rafah," she said, referring to the fate of the many civilians in the city, where many war refugees have sought refuge. "People cannot vanish into thin air."
The US government also warned Israel once again against a large-scale ground offensive in the city bordering Egypt in the south of the sealed-off Gaza Strip. The US State Department announced on Monday evening after a meeting between department head Antony Blinken and Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant that Blinken had once again spoken out against a major ground offensive in Rafah, which would further endanger the well-being of the more than 1.4 million Palestinians there.
USA: Rafah offensive still seems a long way off
Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, and National Security Advisor Zachi Hanegbi were supposed to have flown to the USA on Monday to be presented with alternatives to the planned ground offensive. The communications director of the US National Security Council, Kirby, said there was no indication "that the Israelis are immediately preparing to conduct a ground operation in Rafah" or that this could happen in the coming days. "It seems that they are still far from entering Rafah." According to Netanyahu, Israel's army has drawn up plans to bring the civilians to safety.
Israel rejects UN expert's report as a disgrace
Meanwhile, Israel's diplomatic mission to the United Nations in Geneva has described the report by a UN human rights expert on the Gaza war as a disgrace to the Human Rights Council. "The report is therefore an obscene reversal of reality, in which a so-called expert can make outrageous accusations, the more extreme the better," the mission wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) on Monday. According to media reports, UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese had previously accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in a preliminary version and described the establishment of the Jewish state as a "settlement colonialist project". The Italian lawyer is the UN Human Rights Council's rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, but does not speak for the UN.
©Keystone/SDA
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