As of: 9:44 AM| Reading time: 2 minutes

BDuring the indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement regarding the settlement of the Gaza war, the start of a permanent ceasefire began to emerge as the biggest point of contention.

The newspaper reported that Hamas insisted on a permanent ceasefire from the beginning.The Times of Israelon Thursday, citing two officials involved in the matter. On the other hand, the Israeli government initially wants a temporary ceasefire during which more hostages are released.

The report stated that Hamas fears that without ensuring a permanent ceasefire, Israeli forces could resume fighting after the release of some of the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Read also

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that the war, from his point of view, cannot end before achieving his government’s goals – such as destroying Hamas’ military capabilities.

At the end of May, US President Joe Biden surprisingly presented a three-stage plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. The plan calls for adherence to a temporary ceasefire during which the Israeli hostages, including women, the elderly and the sick, will be released.

In return, Palestinians imprisoned in Israel will be released. In the next stage, the fighting will stop permanently and the remaining hostages will be released. According to the draft, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip must begin in the final stage.

The UN Security Council has already spoken in favor of this proposal and recently adopted a similar resolution. Hamas has now presented a series of proposed changes. But the Israeli government has not yet clearly agreed to the American plan.

According to the Israeli Channel 13 report, Hamas is also demanding that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip begin in the first phase, and that Israel not be allowed to use its veto power over the selection of Palestinian prisoners who will be released. The channel quoted an Israeli official as saying: “This is the most extreme response that Hamas can give.” “It is difficult to start negotiations under these circumstances.”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had already described the changes proposed by Hamas as partly unrealistic in Doha on Wednesday. He said after his meeting with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani: “Some changes are implementable, and others are not.”

Blinken couldn’t be more specific. Al Thani said that Qatar is determined to “bridge the gap” and bring Israel and Hamas closer to stopping the war. “We hope this phase will be as short as possible.” Qatar and the United States, like Egypt, act as mediators because Israel and Hamas do not negotiate directly with each other.

Pashinyan: „We will go”
Armenia wants to turn its back on the military alliance with Moscow

June 12, 2024 at 11:44 pm

Listen to the material

Anger over alleged Russian inaction in Nagorno-Karabakh remains rooted in Armenia. At first, the relationship cooled significantly, and then Armenia did not participate in a military exercise. Now things are going better and she wants to leave the alliance.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wants to remove his country from the Russia-dominated security alliance that includes several former Soviet countries. Pashinyan said that his government would later decide the exact timing of its withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which includes Russia, Belarus, and the former Soviet Union countries in Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

As the dispute with Russia deepened, Armenia had previously frozen its participation in the alliance, canceled its participation in joint military exercises and avoided attending CSTO summits. Now, in a question session in Parliament, Pashinyan said for the first time that Armenia will withdraw from the CSTO completely. There was no immediate statement from the Russian side.

“We will go,” Pashinyan said. „We won’t go back, there’s no other way.” Shortly thereafter, in an apparent attempt to mitigate disdain for Moscow, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirsoyan confirmed that Pashinyan had not yet announced a complete withdrawal. “Those who claim that the prime minister said that Armenia is withdrawing from the CSTO are wrong,” Mirzoyan said.

Armenia approaches from the west

Armenia’s relations with Russia, its long-time ally, have become increasingly strained since Azerbaijan seized the Nagorno-Karabakh region in a military offensive in September, ending three decades of Armenian separatist rule. The Armenian side accuses Russian peacekeepers, which were deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 after previous hostilities, of failing to stop the Azerbaijani attack.

Moscow, which has a military base in Armenia, rejected the allegations, saying its forces had no mandate to intervene. The Kremlin, in turn, is angered by Pashinyan’s efforts to deepen relations with the West. Russia was particularly angry at Armenia’s decision to join the International Criminal Court, which last year issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Pashinyan is currently facing calls for his resignation. The background is his government’s decision to cede four border villages to Azerbaijan in order to facilitate a peace agreement with the old adversary. Violent clashes broke out on Wednesday when thousands of demonstrators tried to break through police barriers outside the Parliament building. The demonstrators threw bottles and stones at the police, who then used stun grenades. According to official information, about 30 people were injured, and the police arrested a large number of demonstrators.

A peace conference on Ukraine is scheduled to be held this weekend at the luxury Bürgenstock resort on Lake Lucerne. Switzerland wanted to achieve a breakthrough through this meeting, at least at the diplomatic level. Your image should help as a neutral medium.

But even before the first heads of state and government arrived on the Swiss mountain in canton Nidwalden, the conference was threatening to fail. One dimension Report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Other countries canceled their participation in the summit. American Radio, citing „several anonymous European diplomats,” reported that the number of countries and organizations that have confirmed their participation in the peace summit in Ukraine has now decreased from 93 to 78 countries.

The recordings known so far are alarming. Only Ukraine’s usual backers such as France, Germany, Poland, Canada and the European Union are represented at the highest level. But US President Joe Biden will not come, but will send his deputy, Kamala Harris. Instead of the Swiss mountains, Biden will participate in an elegant fundraiser with Hollywood stars in Los Angeles on Saturday, the first day of the Ukraine conference.

Zelensky accuses „some countries” of sabotaging the conference

Volodymyr Zelensky asked Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping several times in recent weeks to come to Switzerland. Two weeks ago, the official rejection came from China. Beijing said it was not interested in participating because the Russian Federation did not participate. Since then, reports have increased that China is planning to hold a counter-summit in cooperation with Brazil – with the Russians in attendance.

Zelensky expressed his anger at a conference held in Singapore last week. He accused „some countries” of sabotaging the Burgenstock summit.

This refers primarily to the countries of the Global South, whose engagement Zelensky has placed particular emphasis on. Some will come, but the heavyweights are wary. Of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, which together with Russia form the BRICS group, only Indians confirmed their commitment. They will only be allowed to send a lower-ranking delegation.

The federal government also appears to be downplaying the importance of the upcoming Bürgenstock summit. In response to a query from BSW Bundestag member Sevim Dagdelen, the Foreign Office responded that it viewed the meeting as a “space for exchange.” In addition, Tobias Lindner, State Secretary at the Foreign Office, emphasized in the response available to the Berliner Zeitung that the inclusion should be discussed at future conferences.

Politician BSW Dagdelen: Schulz should support the peace initiative between Brazil and China

Sevim Dagdelin commented on the federal government’s position to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, saying: „The federal government’s downgrading of the Switzerland-Ukraine summit to a mere 'space for exchange’ represents a serious setback for President Zelensky.” The Bundestag member said: “Chancellor Schulz must support the initiative of Brazil and China to hold an international peace conference, and given the complete diplomatic failure in the Foreign Ministry, he must appoint his own representative for the political settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.”

The peace summit being organized by Switzerland this weekend at Zelensky’s request threatens to become increasingly an illusion. Even Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis admitted in a press conference on Monday that the meeting in Bürgenstock should only be seen as a “first step” in a sustainable peace process. Cassis said that a sustainable peace process requires the participation of all relevant actors.