SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 27 April 2024, Saturday |

Do the intelligence chiefs’ meetings in Qatar pave the way for a political solution?

The meeting of the heads of the Egyptian, American, and Israeli intelligence services in the Qatari capital – Doha, raised many questions, analyzes and question marks about the nature of these meetings, which were previously limited to political officials, led by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and the transfer of the file to the purely intelligence level.

Sources follow up on these meetings, which seem to be surrounded by complete secrecy, and what is being leaked is merely analyzes that may succeed in deciphering the codes of these meetings, which were paved for two days before their announcement, with the arrival of the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, the director of the CIA, William Burns, accompanied by the director of the American intelligence, and the head of the Israeli Mossad, David Barnea, which followed the success of the first truce, during which prisoners from both sides were released, and this matter was followed by a second conditional truce in terms of the names and numbers of those who would be released, in addition to the aid provided by many Arab countries and ensuring safe passages to reach the Gaza Strip.

There is a major challenge facing the efforts and meetings taking place in Qatar, according to the source, pointing out that the Israeli army and Shin Bet reject a ceasefire and consider taking this path as an admission of defeat.

However, the tripartite presence in Doha seems to be putting pressure on the Israeli side after the changes in the American position, which avoids the continuation and expansion of the war after popular and international pressure to stop the destruction and killing in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, it seems that the American fist stopped the Israeli military machine, and the decision became in the hands of the American, who curbed the impulse that appeared at the beginning of the military operation in the Gaza Strip.

The priority, according to the source, is to search for a comprehensive deal that guarantees “all soldiers in exchange for all prisoners,” but the obstacles lie in the partners of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who threatened to topple the government, especially those who joined it under the title of war on “Hamas” and eliminating it.

The extension of the basic truce, which was set for 4 days, followed by another, set for two days, during which a number of prisoners were released, prompted both sides to yield to popular pressure, especially Israeli, through the demonstrations that reached Netanyahu’s house, and pressure to implement other truces in order to release all the prisoners, especially civilians.

The source hopes that Qatari, Egyptian and American pressure will be able to reach another truce that coincides with the efforts to reach a final ceasefire agreement and pave the way for a negotiation process that includes soldiers, conscripts in the Israeli army and officers, who constitute the largest pressure card which is owned by Hamas and could constitute a release card for Palestinian figures such as MP Marwan Barghouti (sentenced to life imprisonment), Abdullah Barghouti, former commander of the “Izz al-Din al-Qassam” Brigades in the West Bank, Jamil Hamed (sentenced to 57 life imprisonments) and others whose number exceeds 20, most of them have been detained for more than 30 years, and “Israel” refuses to include them in the exchange list, which makes it necessary to hold a quadripartite meeting in Qatar in the presence of Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.

The source ends his speech by saying that it is not possible to predict the results, especially with regard to the release of all prisoners and the “washing of the Israeli prisons” that the Palestinian side, led by “Hamas”, adheres to, through which another path linked to the political solution can be launched and who will have a role in negotiating on behalf of the Palestinian side.

 

    Source:
  • Sawt Beirut International