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Qatar Strike Highlights Israel Unwilling to Negotiate by Hamas's Rules

(Jerusalem Post) Zvika Klein - Israeli negotiators believe Hamas was using time is a tactic. One veteran envoy told me that Hamas would "go quiet" on issues that could have been answered in a day, then reappear three, four, and even seven days later with a partial reply that initiated a new loop. Throughout the summer, mediators cycled proposals that required simple yes-or-no answers. Instead, responses from Hamas in Doha typically arrived slowly, often contingent on new side demands. Jerusalem intends to take that leverage away. In July, Washington began signaling that it was exploring "alternative options" to bring hostages home if the Doha track remained stuck. Tuesday's strike is what "alternative options" look like when diplomacy is treated as a delay tactic. Hamas believed that time favored it, that global opinion and political pressure would keep Israel at the table indefinitely. The talks were being slow-rolled while the narrative battle raged, and that leverage had to change.
2025-09-11 00:00:00
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