(Wall Street Journal) Alexander Ward - After months of saying a ceasefire and a hostage-release deal was close at hand, senior U.S. officials are now privately acknowledging they don't expect Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement before the end of President Biden's term. "No deal is imminent," one U.S. official said. "I'm not sure it ever gets done." One problem is that, according to Biden administration officials, Hamas makes demands and then refuses to say "yes" after the U.S. and Israel accept them. The intransigence has severely frustrated negotiators, who increasingly feel the militant group isn't serious about completing an agreement. "There's no chance now of it happening," an official from an Arab country added.
2024-09-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive